27 January 2005 - Benefit Fraud Inspectorate (BFI) Focused Inspection – processing of claims: Wyre Borough Council
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Alan Johnson, has today published a report by the BFI on the processing of claims to Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit by Wyre Borough Council.
Wyre Borough Council was selected for this inspection as it was taking on average 23 days to process new Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit claims, compared to the DWP standard of 36 days. This suggested scope for BFI to identify and disseminate good practices.
Over a 2-year period Wyre Borough Council had achieved significant improvements in both the speed and accuracy of processing claims. The average time for processing new claims had improved from 71 days in 2001/02 to 33 days in 2003/04. Performance of cases processed accurately was 93 per cent in 2001/02 rising to 98 per cent in 2003/4.
Wyre Borough Council achieved this very good performance through a change programme that made significant changes to work processes and how work and staff were managed and monitored.
By taking an informed and incremental approach Wyre Borough Council has developed its Benefits service so that it now delivers a better service to customers, gives a high level of assurance to senior managers and elected Members and provides development opportunities for staff.
BFI believe that improvements to Wyre Borough Council’s strategic management, by, for example, developing procedural guidance would further enhance performance.
In 2002/03, Wyre Borough Council administered some £19 million in housing benefits. This is approximately 45 per cent of its gross revenue expenditure.
Chris Pond, Work and Pensions Minister, announced the publication of the report in a written Ministerial statement.
Notes for editors
- The process for the focused inspection at Wyre Borough Council included an initial fact finding stage, an on-site visit, and production and clearance of the report. BFI’s shorter, focused inspections support improvements in performance in specific areas of benefits administration and security.
- The Minister for State announced in January 2004 that shorter more focused inspections, designed to support quick improvements in performance in specific areas of benefits administration would be undertaken by BFI.
- Each BFI inspection report is considered by the Secretary of State who decides whether any further action is appropriate. The Secretary of State has powers to issue directions to a local authority to secure acceptable or minimum standards in performance.
- In its response to the Housing Green Paper of November 2000, the Department for Work and Pensions developed a performance framework for housing benefits. The HB/CTB Performance Standards, published in April 2002, enable local authorities to make a comprehensive self-assessment of whether they deliver benefit effectively and securely. These are the standards that the Department for Work and Pensions expects local authorities to aspire to and achieve in time.
- The Department for Work and Pensions has not set a timescale for when the standards need to be met by local authorities.
- This report only looked at those elements of Strategic management, Processing of claims and Customer services in the Performance Standards that BFI considered to have a direct impact on the speed of processing of new claims for HB and CTB.
- The HB/CTB Performance Standards can be downloaded from: www.dwp.gov.uk/housingbenefit/publications/2003.asp
- Media copies of the BFI inspection report can be obtained from the Department for Work and Pensions Press Office on 020 7238 0866.
- All BFI inspection reports can be found on the BFI website – www.bfi.gov.uk.
Press office: 020 7238 0866
BFI Press enquiries: 01423 83 2938
Out of hours: 07659 108 883
Public enquiries: 020 7712 2171