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Benefits Strategy
Havant Borough Council
Benefits Service-Vision and
Strategy
Havant Borough Council's
Vision : A cleaner, safer, more prosperous community
Our Vision for the
Benefits Service
- Providing a modern, customer-focused, efficient, effective and
secure benefit system that is continuously seeking to improve.
- Paying the right amount of benefit to people who are entitled
to it as quickly as possible.
- Encouraging the take up of the Benefits scheme by those
entitled to benefits and ensuring the service is accessible to
everyone in the community.
- Reducing the risks of fraud and error.
- Delivering an effective Benefits service that is set within the
broad context of the Councils priorities for a more prosperous
Borough.
- Delivering a cost-effective service which provides value for
money within the limited financial resources available.
- Supporting key local partnerships with welfare benefits
delivery where they help achieve this vision.
- Helping to address social exclusion.
Contents:-
The Benefits Service is committed
to providing a customer focussed service
through:
- setting challenging, but realistic, targets for the assessment
of claims with ongoing improvements year-on-year;
- maximising entitlement to Housing Benefit/Council Tax Benefit
(HB/CTB);
- regular consultation with claimants and key stakeholders;
- helping people back to work through the timely assessment of
claims where the claimant is returning to or starting work;
- ensuring that appeals and complaints are dealt with quickly and
transparently.
The Benefits Service will be
accessible to the residents of Havant Borough who
need assistance with paying their rent and/or Council Tax. The
Benefits service will provide information to claimants on:-
- the help that they are entitled to receive;
- the action that they need to take to ensure that their claim is
paid;
- the help that is available if they need assistance in
claiming;
- the standards they can expect and action they can take if
things go wrong.
and will focus upon:-
- removing barriers to access caused by language difficulties;
health, mobility or disability problems; or any other issues
preventing claimants from receiving the benefits to which they are
entitled;
- providing forms, notification letters and publicity material to
claimants and external agencies that provide clear explanations of
the assistance that is available, the action that has to be taken
to ensure the payment of HB/CTB and of any additional assistance
that is available.
The Benefits Service will provide
a secure service that protects public funds
by:-
- a rigorous approach to both the prevention and detection of
fraud through all means available including prosecutions, sanctions
and cautions;
- ensuring that overpayments recovery is maximised without
causing undue hardship;
- minimising error through management checks, quality control and
training;
- reducing rent and Council Tax arrears by ensuring that HB/CTB
take-up is maximised;
- reducing subsidy loss through ongoing monitoring and
control.
Much of the administration and
payment of HB and CTB claims is prescribed by a complex body of
legislation laid down by the Department for Work and Pensions
(DWP). However, the Benefits Service is integral to a number of
Council objectives; the Councils priorities are for a cleaner,
safer and more prosperous Borough and the Benefits service links
particularly with priorities for strengthening our economy and
enabling better housing within the detailed corporate
strategy.
The purpose of this
document is therefore to establish the strategic direction of
Havant Borough Councils Benefits Service, its aims and its
values. All Local Authorities face significant challenges
in the administration of HB/CTB given the increasing complexities
of the Schemes, the emphasis on preventing fraud and error from
entering the system and the importance of paying the correct amount
of benefit quickly, but only to people who are properly entitled.
The priorities of the Benefits Service therefore seek to balance
the sometimes conflicting priorities of accuracy, speed and fraud
prevention in each of the service aims expressed in this document.
In addition, the Council is mindful of having the highest possible
standards of customer care and the Councils customer services
policy is attached at
The Department for Work and
Pensions has published performance standards for Benefits. The
Council has assessed performance against these standards. Whilst
the Council has not been able to allocate financial resources to
implement the Verification Framework many of the standards within
that framework are in place.
The Benefits Service has
a significant role to play in meeting social inclusion.
Governments Social Exclusion Unit has described social exclusion as
"a shorthand label for what can happen when individuals or areas
suffer from a combination of linked problems such as unemployment,
poor skills, low incomes, poor housing, high crime environments,
bad health and family breakdown". Social exclusion can often be
characterised by a lack of choice and the Benefits Service is
committed to addressing these inequalities, wherever possible,
by:
- reducing poverty by maximising take-up and paying claims
quickly;
- increasing choice for affordable housing by working with
landlords and Housing Associations to ensure that claimants can
exercise the same level of choice in where they live;
- making sure that unemployed claimants are supported in taking
jobs by paying their claims without interruption.
Claiming HB/CTB is a complicated
and bureaucratic process because of the complexity of the Schemes
and the need to verify all circumstances of a persons claim in
order to ensure that payments are only made to people who are
properly entitled. Much of this activity is prescribed by
legislation and guidance from the DWP. An important component of an
open access policy is making sure claimants know what they have to
do in order to assist the Benefits Service in paying their claim
quickly. All publicity material and forms will therefore detail the
responsibilities of claimants in satisfying the criteria for
receiving HB/CTB.
The information required to award
HB/CTB gives details of all aspects of a claimants income, capital,
household details and personal circumstances. A more inclusive
approach can often be provided in response to a claimants needs by
giving advice on:
- other Social Security Benefits that they might be entitled
to;
- additional assistance available through the HB/CTB Schemes
(such as Discretionary Housing Payments);
- other Council Services for people on low incomes.
Help is always available from the
Benefits Service in completing forms or providing information.
There are a number of additional stakeholders who provide
assistance and have an interest in the prompt payment of HB/CTB
claims including other Council Departments and outside agencies who
advise claimants or receive payments on their behalf. The Benefits
Service will therefore formalise relationships with all key
stakeholders with a view to ensuring that claimants receive
accurate advice from whatever source, that all interested parties
understand their rights and responsibilities and that all parties
have realistic expectations of the Benefits Service and that these
expectations are met. This will be realised through:
- the publication of realistic targets for all key aspects of the
Benefits Service;
- a user forum for claimants and advisers to address service
delivery issues and to provide continuous feedback on ongoing
improvements to the service;
- the establishment of Service Level Agreements with any external
agencies whose involvement is required for the payment of claims
(such as the Inland Revenue, DWP, Rent Officer Service et
al.);
- Service Level Agreements with other Council Departments,
principally Council Tax, for the exchange of information;
- a forum for Housing Associations and landlords that will
clarify their rights and responsibilities under the relevant
legislation.
There are a number of constraints
to meeting the needs of claimants, principally where the amount of
benefit they receive is limited by statutory provisions outside the
Councils control or where there is a need to have robust
verification procedures in place. The Benefits Service will
therefore ensure that these are mitigated to lower any barriers to
entitlement and are fully understood by all interested parties who
can assist the Council in making the service as responsive as
possible.
The Benefits Service will
pay the right amount of benefit for all claims at the earliest
opportunity and will tackle the barriers to this as part
of the ongoing strategic development of the service. A key
indicator of the efficiency of the Service is the time taken to
assess claims from the date that they are received to the date that
they are paid. The Benefits Service is committed to a policy of
getting it right first time because paying the right amount of
benefit in accordance with the Regulations and primary legislation
is equally important.
The issues that are being
addressed to achieve this goal are:
- minimising delays caused by claimants providing information in
support of their claims late through a pre-assessment process that
will focus the service on challenging targets for the payment of
claims;
- tackling the increasing complexities of the HB/CTB Schemes, in
terms of legislation and systems, through comprehensive training
provision for all staff that will balance the priorities of
accuracy, speed and service delivery.
The Benefits Service provides
assistance to claimants in verifying their circumstances through
liaison with third parties and the verification of information
directly with the DWP. A clear policy on the application of the
Councils verification criteria is therefore available both to
claimants and anyone who may be advising them. Where claimants are
renting from private landlords and unable to provide the
information that has been requested, the Benefits Service will
ensure that interim payments are made (payments-on-account) where
it is lawful to do so in order to obviate any risk of hardship or
eviction.
Some claimants are not entitled
to HB/CTB either because they are excluded by the Regulations, or
because they are fraudulent or because they do not provide the
requisite supporting evidence. It is incumbent on the Benefits
Service to provide unsuccessful claimants with a clear and timely
explanation of why payment will not be made with details of the
avenues of redress that may be available to them. The same targets
will therefore apply to all claims.
The Benefits Service is
committed to protecting the public purse by ensuring that
fraudulent claims for HB and CTB are both prevented and
detected.
The prevention of fraud involves
protecting the gateway to the HB/CTB Schemes through robust
verification criteria, application forms that seek all the
necessary information and procedures for cross-checking the
information that is provided. Havant Borough Council already sets
standards for the verification of claims and supporting proof. The
Benefits Service will therefore support the anti-fraud strategy and
prosecution policy for dealing with HB/CTB
(Appendix 2) through:
- publicity campaigns highlighting the Councils commitment to
eradicate fraud;
- ensuring that all cases are referred for investigation where
fraud is suspected;
- regular fraud awareness training for staff and feedback on
investigations;
- a fraud hotline for suspected fraud to be reported;
- publishing details of successful prosecutions in the local
press as a deterrent;
- pursuing alternatives to prosecution where appropriate (i.e.
administrative penalties and sanctions).
The Benefits Service endorses the
adoption of a Prosecution Policy that recognises the seriousness of
fraud, but weighs this against the alternative measures available
to the Council through cautions and administrative penalties
depending on the circumstances of the case.
The anti-fraud strategy is
predicated on the core aims of the service, namely:
- getting it right by paying the correct amount
of benefit to claimants who are properly entitled;
- keeping it right by making sure that changes
of circumstance are priorities and HB/CTB reassessed
accordingly;
- putting it right by detecting when fraud or
error enters the system and taking the appropriate remedial
action;
- making sure things work by
monitoring the work of the Benefits Service and proactively
planning for continuous improvement.
The level of undetected fraud is,
of course, unknown. Whilst the elimination of fraud remains a core
aim of the Benefits Service, it should be recognised that this
should not be at the expense of avoidable delays to the majority of
legitimately entitled claimants.
The Benefits Service will
ensure that the Councils priorities are understood and fairly
reflected in procedures and working practices in helping people
back to work. There are a number of measures within the
HB/CTB Schemes with more planned for the future that support people
returning to work by:
- ensuring that there is no break in the paying claims when
claimants start work and their circumstances change;
- ensuring that new or renewal claims from people who are already
working are dealt with quickly so people know how much HB/CTB they
will receive and can manage their finances accordingly.
In many instances the decision
whether to accept a job or not will depend on the amount of the
HB/CTB that a claimant will receive and the Benefits Service will
therefore provide advice to claimants considering taking up
employment. For claimants who are self-employed or who are thinking
of starting their own business, the assistance provided by HB and
CTB can be an essential part of their income and therefore the
viability of their employment. The Benefits Service will therefore
provide the necessary support and advice to claimants who are
already working or starting work.
The Benefits Service will also
ensure that claimants receive advice regarding the minimum wage
where they are being paid below this amount and the means of
redress at their disposal.
The Benefits Service will
increase the choice available to prospective tenants in terms of
access to affordable housing.
The Benefits Service pays a large
amount of money to tenants of Housing Associations and Registered
Social Landlords. The prompt payment of claims and the maximisation
of entitlement therefore underpin the provision of affordable
housing to Havants residents. For many tenants, the payment of HB
is essential to securing and maintaining a tenancy and for the
providers of social housing in Havant it represents an important
source of income.
Close liaison and partnership
arrangements with Parchment Housing and other Housing Associations
are key to the Benefits Services aims in relation to openness and
accessibility.
Claims that are made in respect
of privately rented accommodation are subject to valuations made by
the Rent Officer which ensure that rents met by rent allowance are
reasonable. The Benefits Service will therefore continue to work
with claimants and landlords to ensure that claimants can exercise
choice in relation to affordable housing:
- choice is supported by paying claims quickly and therefore
ensuring that HB claimants are not prejudiced in finding somewhere
to live;
- affordability is supported by the controls that the Benefits
Service enforce if rents are too high or the accommodation of a
poor standard.
Protecting the Councils
finances
The Benefits Service will
protect public funds in the administration of HB/CTB and
ensure that the Councils financial position is protected and
revenue maximised wherever possible. This will be achieved
through:
- audit controls around specific areas where subsidy can be
lost;
- maximising overpayment recovery;
- reducing Council Tax arrears;
- ensuring that procedures are in place to prioritise areas where
subsidy incentives are payable.
The level of subsidy payable for
HB/CTB varies according to the type of case and there are certain
areas of the Schemes where reduced subsidy is payable. This
therefore represents a direct financial loss to the Council.
Specific areas where subsidy loss is incurred are: backdated awards
of benefit; overpayments of benefit; and cases where unreasonably
high rents are being charged. In many instances, subsidy loss
cannot be avoided as it is required by the Regulations. However,
the requisite monitoring controls and staff training can reduce the
risk of the incorrect amount of subsidy being claimed in areas
which are often complex and sometimes ambiguous.
Reducing the number of
overpayments is part of the Benefits Services commitment to
accuracy. However, there are many instances where these cannot be
avoided (where the Council is notified of changes late) or where
they actively need to be sought out (where fraudulent claims are
identified). Overpayments are an area where significant loss can be
incurred due to the reduced level of subsidy payable. This can be
substantially mitigated by the recovery of overpaid benefit which
therefore represents a source of revenue to the Council.
The recovery of overpayments has
to be mitigated by the need to avoid causing claimants undue
hardship, but the Benefits Service will adopt an overpayment
recovery policy that:
- recognises the need to consider individual cases on their
merits;
- seeks recovery by the most cost effective and appropriate
means;
- seeks recovery from the most appropriate source (which will
include landlords and Housing Associations);
- supports the Councils priorities in relation to the prevention
of fraud;
- ensures that all recovery procedures are lawful and
transparent;
- has a clear write-off procedures for debts that cannot be
recovered.
The recovery of overpaid benefit
represents a source of revenue for the Council whilst delays in the
payment of HB/CTB can lead to claimants being pursued for debts
that they do not owe or confusion as to the contribution they have
to make. The prompt and accurate payment of HB/CTB is, of course, a
cornerstone of providing joined-up services that reduce poverty and
meet the needs of claimants across service areas.