Title
Contents
Acknowledgements 9
The Authors 10
1. Information 12
1.1 Introduction and summary 12
1.1 Main findings 13
2. Efficiency Work Programme 20
2.1 Introduction and summary 20
2.2 Main findings 23
3. Temporary accommodation 32
3.1 Introduction and summary 32
3.2 Main findings 34
4. Benefit fraud 44
4.1 Introduction and summary 44
4.2 Main findings 45
5. Public functions and the Disability Discrimination Act 54
5.1 Introduction and summary 54
5.2 Main findings 56
Appendix A. The Survey 72
Appendix B. Wave 19 advance letter 80
Appendix C. Wave 19 questionnaire 84
Table 1.1 Average time taken by London Boroughs and English Metropolitan authorities to extract data 14
Table 3.1 Please provide an approximate breakdown of your self-contained temporary accommodation portfolio (PSL and licensed only) by property size 37
Table 3.2 Approximately what proportion of households in those self-contained (PSL and licensed) units live in properties that could be considered too small, about right or too large for the size of the household? 38
Table 3.3 Please provide an approximate breakdown of your HAL scheme portfolio by property size 42
Table 3.4 Approximately, what proportion of households in HAL scheme properties live in properties that could be considered too small, about right or too large for the size of the household? 42
Table A.1 Data analysis variables 75
Table A.2 Wave 19 sampling error 76
Table A.3 Response rates by local authority type for Benefit Officers 77
Table A.4 Sample profile 78
Figure 1.1 On average, how many hours and minutes per month would you say it usually takes to extract the Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE) data scan from your system? (a) time taken to actually extract the data from your system 13
Figure 1.2 On average, how many hours and minutes per month would you say it usually takes to extract the Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE) data scan from your system? (b) any additional time taken to deal with follow-up queries or issues and cleaning the data 15
Figure 1.3 Does your LA record on your Housing Benefit IT system whether or not households contain anyone who is neither dependent nor non-dependent, eg. carers, boarders, sub-tenants and children of non-dependents? Which of the following categories does your LA use? 16
Figure 1.4 Which of these groups (that you said you use) does your LA include in the total number in the household on your HB IT system? 17
Figure 1.5 For each of these groups (that you said your LA uses), please indicate whether your LA records their names 18
Figure 1.6 For each of these groups (that you said your LA uses), please indicate whether your LA records their dates of birth 19
Figure 1.7 You said that your Housing Benefit IT system records whether or not households contain anyone who is neither dependent nor non-dependent, but you do not break this down into categories. Does your LA record any of the following information about this group? 19
Figure 2.1 Which of the following initiatives are included in your LA's overall plans to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your HB/CTB services? 23
Figure 2.2 For which of the initiatives included in your LA's plans do you expect planned net savings to be achieved? 24
Figure 2.3 Do you expect this net saving to be high, medium or low? 25
Figure 2.4 Which, if any, of the following barriers do you feel your LA will need to overcome in trying to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your service? 26
Figure 2.5 Which, if any, of the following resources that can support your LA's plans to deliver your HB/CTB service more efficiently and effectively have you used in the last year? 27
Figure 2.6 How useful have you found this/these resource/s to date? 28
Figure 2.7 Which, if any, of these resources, does your LA plan to use as part of your plans to deliver your HB/CTB service more efficiently and effectively in the future? 29
Figure 2.8 For your HB/CTB services so far in this calendar year, which of the following impacts, if any, have you experienced as a result of the economic downturn? 30
Figure 2.9 Which of the following, if any, have you implemented to cope with any increase in your caseload/workload and/or other activities (as a result of the economic downturn) 31
Figure 3.1 How many self-contained temporary accommodation units (PSL and licensed only)[1] does your local authority currently hold an interest in? 35
Figure 3.2 Approximately what percentage of households living in self-contained (PSL and licensed) temporary accommodation contain at least one member of the household in full or part-time employment? 36
Figure 3.3 How many non-self-contained temporary accommodation units (PSL and licensed only) does your local authority currently hold an interest in? 39
Figure 3.4 How many HAL scheme units does you local authority currently hold an interest in? 40
Figure 3.5 Approximately, what percentage of households living in HAL scheme properties contain someone in employment? 41
Figure 4.1 Does your LA use the current 'We're Closing In' benefit fraud campaign posters available from the Department for Work and Pensions website? Why did your LA use the posters? 45
Figure 4.2 Where did your LA use the posters? 46
Figure 4.3 Why did your LA not use the posters? 47
Figure 4.4 Which of the following teams in your LA has most responsibility for planning DWP and your own LAs campaigns to target benefit fraud? 48
Figure 4.5 What other DWP targeting benefit thieves campaign material, if any, would your LA find useful? 48
Figure 4.6 Does your LA currently undertake an evaluation to measure the effectiveness of DWP targeting benefit thieves campaign materials or are you planning to undertake an evaluation in the future? 49
Figure 4.7 Does your LA currently undertake an evaluation tomeasure the effectiveness of your LA's own benefitfraud campaign materials or are you planning to undertake an evaluation in the future? 50
Figure 4.8 Does your LA plan your benefit fraud campaign activities independently of DWP targeting benefit thieves campaigns, do you plan them to coincide with DWP targeting benefit thieves campaigns or does it vary? 51
Figure 4.9 How would your LA like to be kept up to date with the DWP benefit fraud campaign? 52
Figure 5.1 Before reading the introduction above, which of these statements best reflected your awareness of the DDA duties specifically relating to public functions? 57
Figure 5.2 Adjustment: An equal opportunities/disability policy governing how functions are delivered to disabled people 58
Figure 5.3 Which would you say was the main reason why your LA made, or is planning to make, an equal opportunities/disability policy governing how functions are delivered to disabled people? 59
Figure 5.4 Adjustment: Changes to physical accessibility 60
Figure 5.5 Which would you say was the main reason why your LA made, or is planning to make, changes to physical accessibility 61
Figure 5.6 Adjustment: Improvement to communications 62
Figure 5.7 Which would you say was the main reason why your LA made, or is planning to make, improvements to communications 63
Figure 5.8 Adjustment: Staff training on disability issues/awareness 64
Figure 5.9 Which would you say was the main reason why your LA has done, or is planning to do, staff training on disability issues/awareness 65
Figure 5.10 Adjustment: Changes to the way the service can be provided (eg. home visits, home delivery, offering personal assistance) 66
Figure 5.11 Which would you say was the main reason why your LA made, or is planning to make, changes to the way the service can be provided (eg. home visits, home delivery etc) 67
Figure 5.12 Other adjustments: Consultation with disabled groups/people/involving disabled groups in decision making/disability forums 68
Figure 5.13 Which would you say was the main reason why your LA has consulted, or is planning to consult, with disabled groups/people/involving disabled groups in decision making/disability forums 69
Figure 5.14 What, if any, difficulties or problems has your LA encountered in making or planning to make adjustments to meet the public functions requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act? 70