HOUSING BENEFIT AND COUNCIL TAX BENEFIT MISSION STATEMENT AND SERVICE GOALS
Mission statement
To provide an effective, secure and customer focused Benefits Service that supports the Council’s vision, helps to achieve the strategic priorities and meets the Council’s Service values.
Service Goals
Deliver an effective Housing Benefit service that supports the broader strategic priorities of the Council and Central Government and help to improve the quality of life in the Borough.
Provide an effective, efficient, modern and secure housing benefit service that is continuously seeking to improve performance and outputs and reduce the risks of fraud and error.
Deliver a cost effective service that provides value for money to all stakeholders and is responsive to the needs of the local community.
Strive to achieve excellence in service provision by ensuring both the customers and those administering the scheme are fully aware of their respective responsibilities and actions needed to ensure an effective and efficient benefit service.
Support people in the Borough of Gosport to live in decent housing through the prompt and accurate payment of benefit.
Provide a service that is accessible to all in line with the Council’s social inclusion and equality policy objectives.
To help meet our goals we will:-
Strive to fully comply with the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate’s HB/CTB Performance Standards
Ensure people within the Borough are paid on time and receive the maximum benefit to which they are entitled;
Deal with new claims, changes of circumstances and correspondence quickly and accurately, meeting all relevant performance standards;
Help to safeguard public funds from fraud and error by:-
- Reducing the level of fraud and error by fully adopting the Verification Framework and other internal controls.
- Investigating and punishing fraudsters through the use of appropriate sanctions
Minimise barriers to work by providing information and assistance about eligibility to entitlement and process claims speedily;
Ensure that the Benefit service is given the resources necessary to deliver the intended level of service;
Minimise overpayments of benefit and when they do occur seek to recover the overpaid amounts promptly by all appropriate means;
Consult with stakeholders on the service aims, objectives and relative priorities;
Strive for quality and excellence in all that we do and assist the organisation in promoting a good performance culture throughout the council;
Advertise and promote the service to encourage benefit ‘take up’ levels;
Seek to modernise the service to help improve both the performance and quality of the service provided.
FEEDBACK
The Mission Statement and Service Goals were approved by the Council’s Policy and Organisation Board held on the 10th November 2004. It is however intended to review the document within a year taking into account the feedback received from customers, Borough residents and other stakeholders. We would very much like to hear your views on the Mission Statement and Goals including any additional goals you believe should be added and the relative priority that should be given to each.
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