Issue - meetings
Partnership Agreement with Jobcentre Plus to deliver Universal Credit
Meeting: 02/04/2015 - City Executive Board (became Cabinet on 13 May 2019) (Item 163)
163 Universal Credit Delivery Partnership Agreement 
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The Head of Customer Services has submitted a report which requests approval of the Delivery Partnership Agreement with the Department of Work & Pensions for the provision of services required as a consequence of the roll out of Universal Credit.
Officer Recommendations: That the City Executive BoardAUTHORISE the Executive Director for Organisational Development and Corporate Services to enter into these arrangements provided that she is satisfied that the full terms of the agreement are acceptable and properly reflect the principles set out in the report.
Additional documents:
Minutes:
The Head of Customer Services submitted a report (previously circulated, now appended) which requested approval of the Delivery Partnership Agreement with the Department of Work & Pensions for the provision of services required as a consequence of the roll out of Universal Credit.
Cllr Brown, Board Member for Customer Services and Social Inclusion presented the report. She explained that as an early adopter of Universal Credit, the Council would be able to recommend changes to influence how it is rolled out elsewhere.
Cllr Price asked what the outstanding issues were in rolling out the programme.
The Revenue and Benefits Programme Manager explained that since the writing of the report, all the outstanding implementation issues with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and other partners had been resolved. The Council is in a position to sign off on the project next week.
The City Executive Board resolved toAUTHORISE the Executive Director for Organisational Development and Corporate Services to enter into these arrangements provided that she is satisfied that the full terms of the agreement are acceptable and properly reflect the principles set out in the report.
Meeting: 19/09/2012 - Value and Performance Scrutiny Committee (Item 18)
Transition to the Universal Credit
Contact Officer: Helen Bishop, Head of Customer Services
Tele: 01865 252233, email: hbishop@oxford.gov.uk
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Background Information |
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The Welfare Reform Act introduces changes to the benefit system that have been well reported. The Committee asked to scrutinise our preparation for this both financially and in supporting claimants.
Information is presented in the second half of the report on the previous item – Local Council Tax Scheme.
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Why is it on the agenda? |
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Information is presented in response to the committees lines of inquiry:
· What are the Councils working assumptions and current plans. · How is the Council planning for the funding draw down and budgetary effects? · What is the planning for managing the Customer Service provision such as face to face inquires, telephone inquires and “sign posting” particularly as the administration grant is withdrawn. · How are we working through our partnerships with city Advice Agencies to support residents who need it?
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Who has been invited to comment? |
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Helen Bishop (Head of Customer Services) and Councillor Val Smith (Board Member Customer Services) will be available to answer the committee’s questions.
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What will happen after the meeting? |
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Any comments made by the committee will be reported to the City Executive and the requirements for further reporting will be reflected in the committees work programme.
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Minutes:
The Head of Customer Services submitted a report (previously circulated, now appended) which updated the Committee on the City Councils approach to the transition to the Universal Credit.
Helen Bishop, Head of Customer Services presented the report and highlighted that the Council was in the process of preparing its client base for the change. She said that across the country, six demonstration sites had been chosen of which the City Council was one. It was felt that in order to provide the best service it was right to be in at the beginning so as to iron out any problems before the full scheme was introduced.
Helen Bishop said that the Councils bid was based on co-ordination of the advice available and support to the claimant to help them reduce their dependence on benefit.
In response to questions on the risk profile, Helen Bishop said that claims when received were passed to an agency which used information to give a risk rating. She added that the Council did not have access to the information that the agency used.
Helen Bishop said with regard to rent arrears that there was approximately £60k of arrears on the accounts of tenants on the pilot scheme and that it was very unlikely that tenants on the pilot would be switched back the current system when the pilot ended. Any administration costs were covered by the Administration Grant, but this grant would reduce over the coming years.
The Committee agreed:
(a) To thank Officers for attending the meeting and for their work on the pilot scheme;
(b) To request that when the most up to date information on the rent arrears levels was available this was made available to the Committee.