our overriding objective is to provide an effective, and secure housing benefit and council tax benefit service that is customer focussed, modern and efficient.
the service will look for opportunities to achieve the Vision of the Community Strategy that in 10 years Spelthorne will be a place where people are fully engaged and are both respected and respectful, promoting an environment that his healthy, safe, inclusive, prosperous and sustainable. It will play an important role in achieving the specific aims of An Inclusive Society and A Place to Live and Work; in particular in the areas of neighbourhood renewal, alleviating poverty, preventing homelessness, helping people into work and enhancing consumer choice. The Local Authority supports the aims of the benefit section in supporting claimants to live in decent housing.
the service is regularly reviewed and is aware of its impact and potential usefulness in the local community that it serves. We will regularly seek the views of the service stakeholders to ensure the service provides the needs of the community and regularly working with others to improve the service.
the service will make a full contribution to enriching the social and economic life of the community beyond the strict requirements of excellent service delivery through positive, discretionary initiatives and imaginative use of resources and continually exploring opportunities.
the service will be aware of its strategic role in the corporate development plan and long-term targets and strategies and embraces the best value principles of consultation, comparing, challenging and competitiveness.
the service will be accessible to everyone in the community and regular take-up publicity will be provided to promote the benefit service with strategies in place to ensure claimants are enabled to make successful claims.
benefit processing will be speedy and accurate with the objective of continually achieving the national performance standards. We will regularly and clearly inform claimants, benefit staff, and other interested parties the expected standard of service delivery and how the service will be provided efficiently, effectively and securely.
we will have a high regard for good customer care and maintain Charter Mark accreditation as a mark of quality.
benefit processing will be undertaken in compliance with the Verification Framework and Security Against Fraud and Error (SAFE) to reduce the risk of fraud and error and to ensure the claimants receive the benefit to which they are entitled. Effective planning will be undertaken to deploy sufficient and appropriately skilled resources in order to deliver an efficient, effective and secure service and to minimise barriers to work.
overpayments will be determined efficiently incorporating any underlying entitlement. Overpayments will be effectively recovered and regularly monitored.
all identified fraudulent claims will be investigated and action will be taken in accordance with the Prosecution Policy.
regular and at least monthly performance monitoring against standards will be undertaken. We will notify claimants and other interested parties monthly on the benefits web page and all residents in the Borough annually via the Borough Bulletin.
through effective performance management, to quickly recognize where improvements are required and take timely, effective an appropriate corrective action.
senior staff will actively encourage benefit and other staff to seek ways for continuously improving the level and quality of the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit service being provided. Staff will be regularly consulted on service provision.
all new claims and notified changes that do not meet the "performance standard" will be separately monitored and reported. Monitoring will include Equality monitoring.
the services will have effective partnership arrangements with key stakeholders to ensure an effective service is provided particularly to those with special needs.
