6.00 pm – Presentation to be given at Meeting
Minutes:
The Head of Customer Services and the Operational Benefits Manager gave a presentation to update Members on progress in the implementation of Universal Credit (UC) in Chesterfield since the previous report to the Committee in January, 2018.
The presentation provided updated information on the measures taken and the continuing work to support residents claiming or transferring on to UC and to minimise adverse impacts on them, including:
· 660 households were in receipt of UC; 338 Council tenants with UC as their income were claiming Council Tax Support;
· Maximising income for claimants – 652 new awards / increases in benefits had been achieved in 2017/18, which had resulted in annual increased benefit entitlement of £790,352 and increased backdated arrears payments of £366,826;
· Review of claims for Employment Support Allowance (ESA) – 97 claimants had received increased weekly awards totalling £4,513 and increased arrears payments of £416,573;
· Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) – 449 (from a total of 530) requests for DHP had been granted in 2017/18, 84 of whom were in receipt of UC, resulting in a total of £48,488 being paid to UC recipients (from a total of £249,029). The DHP budget available for 2018/19 would reduce to £235,699;
· Assisted digital support had been provided to 279 customers since 29 November, 2017. The three PCs in the Customer Service Centre were currently adequate to support this;
· 93 personal budgeting support interviews had been completed since 29 November, 2017, although 40% of those invited had not attended. Attempts were being made to improve take up rates;
· The rent collection performance had improved from 95.6% of collectable debt in 2016/17 to 96.2% in 2017/18, with overall rent arrears being reduced from £1.88m to £1.59m by the end of 2017/18;
· Direct managed payments of rent were being received for 209 tenants (37.7% of those on UC);
· Positive relationships had been built with staff at the Chesterfield Job Centre and Department for Work and Pensions (DWP);
· Staveley Job Centre was due to rollout to full service UC on 11 July, 2018.
It was noted that case studies were currently being developed and it was suggested that these be distributed to members of the Committee for information once available.
Members expressed their appreciation of the work being undertaken to assist claimants, particularly through the assisted digital support to enable them to submit and maintain their online claims. Members were of the view that the availability of computer terminals and such support in the Staveley area once UC went live there would be invaluable, to assist people for whom travelling in to Chesterfield may be difficult. It was therefore proposed that the possibility of making terminals available at the Healthy Living Centre, if possible with some assisted digital support available at set times, be considered.
The Chair thanked the Head of Customer Services and the Operational Benefits Manager for their contribution to the meeting.
RESOLVED -
(1) That the presentation be noted, that copies of the presentation be made available to all Members for their information and that the ongoing work on implementation of UC be supported.
(2) That it be recommended to the Cabinet Member for Homes and Customers that consideration be given to making computer terminal(s) available at the Healthy Living Centre in Staveley, and if possible providing assisted digital support to be available at set time(s) each week, prior to Universal Credit being rolled out in the Staveley area in July, 2018, in order to enable claimants to submit and maintain their online claims for Universal Credit.
(3) That a progress report be submitted to the meeting of the Committee in November, 2018.