Conservative Council Benefits Backlog (Surrey Heath Liberal Democrats

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Conservative Council Benefits Backlog

August 4, 2006 5:07 PM

Council delays could lead to severe financial hardship.

Liberal Democrat Councillors have exposed the problems being faced by people relying on Housing Benefit which is administered by Conservative Surrey Heath Borough Council.

A serious backlog of claims means that many applicants could face a financial crisis due to delays. A Council report showed that 1,788 claims are currently outstanding.

Parliamentary Spokesperson Councillor Duncan Clark commented "These delays could lead to some people falling into rent arrears with their landlord, and may place many residents in difficult situations caused through no fault of their own."

"The Council report shows that the current service provision is unlikely to meet the performance levels required by the Department of Work and Pensions. Figures provided show that the average time for processing new claims failed to reach its target of 30 days, increasing from 17 to 47 days between last December and June."

Leader of the Liberal Democrat Council Group, Councillor David Whitcroft is also critical of the Council's performance. "The Council was originally informed that the poor performance was due to an overwhelming 80% increase in claims for housing and council tax benefits. Subsequently this was found to be incorrect, with an increase of only 2%. It makes the councils performance even more dismal!"

Liberal Democrats do not blame the Council staff, but the poor leadership of the Conservative administration in failing to provide enough resources to a vitally important service area.