WELCOME TO THE REVENUE AND BENEFITS SERVICE

INTRODUCTION


The Revenue and Benefits Service is primarily responsible for Council Tax and Business Rates Billing and Collection, the administration of Housing and Council Tax Benefit, Benefit Fraud Investigations and the collection of miscellaneous income. The main office is at the Isle of Wight Council Offices, Broadway, Sandown, Isle of Wight, PO36 9EA.
The service is committed to providing all its customers with the highest quality of service. The service objectives, which are detailed below, are linked to the corporate themes and outcomes namely delivering better services and a health and supportive island.
  • Developing a programme to reduce poverty by encouraging benefit take-up
  • Better use of local offices to improve customer service and resolve enquiries at first point of contact
  • Reducing waiting times for our customers in receiving a service
  • Having a comprehensive set of policies and procedures
  • Regular self-assessment against Benefit & Revenue Performance measures
  • Close working with landlords and welfare groups to provide advice and information regularly
  • Service improvements by using up to date technology and providing value for money
  • Maintaining high collection levels for Council Tax, Business Rates and miscellaneous income

The service is measured against a number of Performance Indicators and these are:
Council Tax, Business Rates & Customer Accounts

  • The amount of Council Tax Collected
  • The amount of Non-Domestic Rates collected
  • The amount of miscellaneous income collected

Benefits

  • Average days to process new claims
  • Average days to process change of circumstances
  • N181 Time taken to process Housing Benefit / Council Tax Benefit new claims & change events
  • % of overpayments recovered
  • % of claims paid within 7 days
  • % of claims processed within 14 days of receipt of all information
  • % of customer enquiries resolved at first point of contact within help centres
  • Number of Fraud Sanctions


SERVICE STANDARDS

The service also has a number of standards for dealing with customer enquiries these require:
  • Correspondence to be answered or acknowledged within five working days and where a detailed investigation is necessary a full answer within twenty working days.
  • Telephone calls will be answered within five rings or fifteen seconds.
  • All personal callers will be seen by a member of staff within 15 minutes.
  • If requested a written response to an enquiry within five days. Where a more detailed investigation is required a response will be issued within 20 days
  • If a customer is not happy with the way their enquiry has been handled they can ask to speak to a Supervisor or Manager
  • If they are still not satisfied with the response received they can request an interview with either the Revenues or Benefits Manager
  • All staff in regular contact with the public will wear name badges
  • Customers will be treated courteously at all times and we expect you to treat our staff with the same courtesy.



Page last updated on: 19/07/2010