Audit Commission

The benefits service provided by Warwick District Council is ‘fair’ but has ‘uncertain’ prospects for improvement, according to the second of two reports on the Council released today by the Audit Commission.

On a scale from zero to three stars the Audit Commission inspection team gave the service a ‘fair’ one-star rating. The reports shows that the Council is supporting local people by providing choices on how they can access the service. It is not amongst the best performing councils for the time taken to process claims, but performance is improving. The Council has also been successful in helping local people claim the welfare benefits they are entitled to.

Deborah Good, Audit Commission senior manager, said:

‘The Council’s benefits service is working well with its partners to help local people claim benefits. It has improved the time taken to deal with claims, but progress has been slow and it still has some way to go. Customers calling at the customer service centres get a good service but too many people who telephone face delays, or simply give up on their call. And although the Council has plans to improve, it has not yet worked out how to measure progress. If long-lasting improvements are to be made there also needs to be greater involvement of councillors as well as officials.’

Strengths include:

• A choice of ways to access the benefits service, including evening and Saturday access through one stop shops and a customer contact centre.
• A choice of ways to have claims dealt with. Customers can claim in person, either at the Council office or at home, as well as by telephone or (for those aged 60 or over) through the Pension Service.
• Good relationships with local partners help customers access welfare benefits and money advice.

Weaknesses include:

• Poor access by telephone with customers waiting too long to speak to a customer adviser. High numbers of people give up on their call before getting through.
• Poor performance on appeals with customers waiting too long for a decision.
• Weak management and recovery of overpayments with no overall view of what money is owed to the Council.

Recommendations include:

• Working more closely with customers and partners to understand their needs.
• Dealing quickly with customers’ appeals.
• Answering telephone calls promptly.
• Adopting a firmer approach to recovering overpaid benefit from debtors who are able to pay.
• Involving customers, staff and other interested parties in agreeing improvement plans and developing service standards.
• Making performance information accessible so that people can challenge the level of service provided.

Notes to editors

1. Warwick District Council’s benefits service pays out around £35 million each year in benefit payments to over 9,000 claimants. The budget for running the service in 2009/10 is approximately £1.12 million of which 26.7 per cent was met by local taxpayers.
2. The Audit Commission is an independent watchdog, driving economy, efficiency and effectiveness in local public services to deliver better outcomes for everyone.
3. Our work across local government, health, housing, community safety and fire and rescue services means that we have a unique perspective. We promote value for money for taxpayers.
4. On 13 August 2010 the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government announced that he plans to disband the Audit Commission. His intention is to have new arrangements in place for auditing England's public bodies by 2012/13.

For further information, please contact Eric Ludlow, Regional Communications Manager (Central) Tel: 0116 250 4183.