REPORT
Currently the Housing Department does not appear to have any minimum
service level targets for processing Income Support claims with regard to the
accommodation component following routine changes to the circumstances of
tenants. When this change involves an increase in the tenant’s income (a return
to work or promotion) then the tenant will be in receipt of IS to which he or
she is not entitled whilst the Department processes the new application. During
this period the tenant will accrue rent arrears.
This period of time can be several weeks, and on one occasion last year
the Department admitted that it was responsible for two separate delays on the
rent account of a tenant totalling 24 weeks, during which time the tenant
accrued rent arrears of over £2,000. This was through no fault of the tenant
and despite her repeated attempts to get the application dealt with.
The acquisition of even small levels of rent arrears by those reliant
on Income Support does cause distress and is to be avoided if possible. It
requires the setting up of an agreement to repay the arrears out of income
which is already low, and this may cause financial difficulties. In the absence
of clear, agreed and public service level targets for these routine
administrative matters, it is difficult to see how the terms of Objective 5
(iii) – Drive efficiency through setting
individual and team efficiency targets – can be met.
It should surely be reasonable to expect the department to acknowledge
the receipt of the application within 5 working days and that the new
assessment would be completed within, say, 15 working days. Such a target
should be agreed and put in place so that undue delays can be targeted and
eliminated.
I believe that this change can be implemented within existing resources
and I do not therefore consider that there are any additional manpower or
financial implications.
