Through the Benefits Service the Council seeks to:

• Give its customers an accessible, fair, fast and accurate service: ”to pay the right benefit to the right people at the right time” within a controlled environment to endeavour to avoid fraudulent claims:
  
  
• Achieve or exceed Government targets for speed and accuracy of benefit claims:
  
  
• Provide a customer focused service with the aim of removing barriers to customers securing or retaining decent housing:
  
  
• Promote the take-up of benefits by those entitled to them, and working with other authorities and agencies to this end:
  
  
• Promote Government initiatives in getting people back to work:
  
  
• Verify Housing and Council Tax benefit claims within the verification framework standards set by Government:
  
  
• Take necessary action to minimise fraudulent or unlawful abuse of the benefits system, and detect, investigate, and apply sanctions where this occurs:
  
  
• Recover overpayments of Housing Benefits
  
  
• Administer and publicise the national Discretionary Housing Payment Scheme, whereby within notified threshold limits payments may be made in certain qualifying cases in addition to Housing Benefit to support housing costs for a period.

The Council recognises the need to

• Allocate the resources necessary to deliver an efficient Housing and Council Tax Benefit Service both in terms of trained staff and information technology, and to take remedial action when backlogs of work occur:
  
  
• Strive for a process of continual improvement, and self assessment and to provide good value for money, and to promote a culture of good performance:
  
  
• Have proper procedures and controls necessary for the efficient administration of the service
  
  
• Develop and maintain service and work plans in line with corporate aims and objectives set by the Council.