About the Benefits Section

Statement of Intent

We want to:

• Provide a modern, efficient, effective, and secure benefit delivery service, which is customer-focused, tackles poverty and isolation, and minimises barriers to work.
• Assess benefit entitlement quickly and accurately.
• Reduce levels and risks of fraud and error by maintaining a high standard of Verification in accordance with the Housing & Council Tax Benefit Regulations
• Provide comprehensive information to the public on benefits so that they are informed about their entitlements and enabled to claim and receive benefits.
• Provide clear explanations of how decisions on claims are reached; including information about appeal rights.
• Ensure the correct amounts of benefit are paid on time, with proper safeguards against fraud and abuse. Where overpayments of benefit do occur, ensure recovery is made by the most effective methods without causing hardship.
• Develop and evaluate activities; provide information on the operational implications of current and proposed legislation including forecasting trends and benefit expenditure.
• Achieve targets in line with the agreed National and Local Performance Indicators.
• Ensure that the department's resources are managed economically, efficiently and effectively at all levels, and maintain financial and management information systems.
• Encourage and develop staff at all levels by creating an environment that encourages both personal development and participation in the creation and achievement of aims and objectives.
• Implement a robust anti-fraud strategy in order to protect public funds and to ensure that benefits are delivered to those who have a true entitlement to them.

Performance for month of November 2011

Average time to process a new benefit claim = 23.80 days

Total New Claims Actioned = 743

Average time to decide new entitlement following a change = 13.01 days 

Total Changes in Circumstances Actioned = 3307