Revenues & Benefits Performance and Customer Service By Mike Bytheway

1. Revenues & Benefits Performance and Customer Service By Mike Bytheway Service Manager Revenue and Benefits

2. Benefits - Workload Significant changes have been introduced from April 2013 most notably the following; 1 April 2013 - Council Tax Reduction Scheme 1 April 2013 – Spare Room Subsidy restrictions to Housing Benefit for Social Housing tenants of working age 15 July 2013 – Total Benefit Cap for claimants of working age

3. Benefits – Performance Performance at the end of the second quarter Current Performance As a result of the measures introduced; For the period 25/9/13 to 18/10/13 new claims processing times reduced to 23.76 days and they have reduced even further to 17.4 days for the period 19/10/13 to 6/11/13.

4. Benefits – Outstanding Work Work Outstanding at the end of the second quarter Current outstanding work has reduced to 544 items and all new claims have been allocated to Assessors Customer Services

5. Action taken to improve performance • Team Leader Assessments monitors waiting times at front desk and on the telephone • Extra staff is used from Back Office when waiting times become too high • No targets for dealing with customer enquiries the aim is to find a resolution so that a customer does not return again with a similar enquiry • Trainee Benefits Officer has been recruited plus an Apprentice to help with administration work • Outstanding workload is monitored on a weekly basis and the Senior Benefits Officer reviews the work of Assessors on a weekly basis • Overtime is available and staff have been working extra hours to reduce the outstanding work and increase performance

6. Kent – How do we compare?

7. Kent – How do we compare? • The average processing time for new claims at the end of the first quarter is 22.39 days with the highest being 40.09 days and the lowest being 8.38 days. • The average change of circumstance processing time is 9.74 days the highest being 18 days and the lowest being 3.11 days. • We have visited the best performing authority to compare resources and procedures and the overwhelming difference is the extra resources they use.

8. Revenues (Council Tax & Business Rates) Causes of the increased demand on Customer Service • The number of bills with an amount to pay increased by approximately 3,300 (Working Age customers in receipt of a Council Tax Reduction). • Increase in the level of Council Tax recovery work being carried out by the revenues department. • A rise in telephone calls, this is attributed to the introduction of the council tax reduction scheme. • A rise in the level of Recovery letters due to the introduction of the council tax reduction scheme.

9. Revenues - Performance Collection Rate Work Outstanding Recovery Letters

10. Corporate Customer Service (Includes Council Tax) Telephone Performance Total calls to the contact centre have increased as below; • In April 2013 the contact centre received the largest volume of calls it has ever received with over 16,000 calls. This is a 31% increase compared to April 2012 • Customer Services Waiting and Service Times

11. Actions to improve performance • An extra recovery stage and letter (Final Reminder) has been introduced • Council Tax Surgery is provided when summons letters are issued • Customer Service Officers have been trained to deal with Council Tax enquiries • Outstanding workload is monitored on a weekly basis by the Senior Revenues Officer • An Apprentice has been recruited to help with recovery administration work • Staff have been working extra hours to reduce the outstanding work and increase performance • An officer is now on standby to open an additional customer service desk to respond to any increase in visitor levels

12. Revenues & Benefits Complaints The following data shows that complaints have decreased Corporate Complaints over the last 4 years