To receive a brief verbal update from the Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Corporate Resources.

The Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Corporate Resources delivered a presentation to the Committee regarding the impact of welfare reforms on Central Bedfordshire’s residents. The presentation covered the following issues:-

·               The terms of reference of the recently established Welfare Reform Working Group;

·               The governance arrangements for this group;

·               Cross Council representation on this group;

·               Statistical information regarding the number of residents affected;

·               Work done to date to support these residents including dedicated communications, alternative payment options for Council Tax and rents; CAB representation, additional resources offering help and advice, mutual exchanges and Local Welfare Provision;

·               The impact on customers;

·               Statistical information regarding the impact on customer facing teams; and

·               Actions taken to manage demand.

Members of the Committee raised the following issues during the presentation, which were addressed by the Executive Member and officers present:-

·               The need for further information regarding the impact of these reforms on residents. In this respect, the Executive Member agreed to bring forward a more detailed report in July following completion of the first quarterly analysis;

·               Concern over the additional costs to the Authority in managing the process and responding to the significantly increased demand on the organisation’s customer facing services. The Chief Finance Officer assured Members that these additional costs were being tracked and also confirmed that the Council had received £108k of New Burdens funding from the government to partly offset these costs;

·               The need to ensure the Welfare Reform Working Group received adequate representation from front line services to ensue useful input from a customer perspective;

·               The ability of the Council to meet demand in terms of discretionary housing payments made in emergencies. The Executive Member confirmed that although the Council assessed applications according to a consistent policy managed by experienced officers, the total sum available was finite. Members of the Committee therefore requested sight of the discretionary housing payments policy, which would be circulated by the Chief Finance Officer following the meeting;

·               The impact on staff regarding the significantly increased workload. The Interim Assistant Chief Executive confirmed that Contact Centre staff were all fully committed and enthusiastic about providing an excellent service, and although the number of customer contacts made during March and April had been unprecedented, morale was high and staff were helping each other through this demanding period. Managers had also introduced a number of initiatives such as leave buy back, overtime, staggered lunch breaks, part time to full time working, etc to manage demand during this period. Members of the Committee wished to formally record their thanks to the staff involved for all their hard work during this exceptionally busy period;

·               The impact on the Citizen’s Advice Bureau in Dunstable, who were also receiving unprecedented enquiries regarding welfare reform and who had recently submitted a request for additional funding to manage this additional workload. Members of the Committee were supportive of this request and urged the Executive Member to consider it favourably.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. That, following completion of the first quarterly analysis, the Executive Member bring forward a more detailed report to the July meeting of this Committee regarding the impact of welfare reform on residents;
2. That the Chief Finance Officer provide Members of the Committee with a copy of the discretionary housing payments policy; and
3. That the Executive Member considers favourably the request from the Citizen’s Advice Bureau in Dunstable for additional funding to manage the increase in workload generated by the welfare reforms.