Agenda item

            The Committee consideration the undernoted report:

 

“Relevant Background Information

 

      Purpose

 

      To bring to the attention of Members, a consultation by the by the Department for Social Development, Social Security Agency on Delivering a Better Service for Customers and to present for approval a draft response to this consultation.

 

      Background

 

      Over the past two years, the Social Security Agency has been conducting a Strategic Business Review into how services are provided within their local office network of Jobs & Benefits/Social Security Offices.  As a result, they have developed proposals to restructure their local operations function to ensure the future delivery of high quality services for customers.  This public consultation document ‘Delivering a Better Service for Customers’ explains the proposed changes.

 

      Recent correspondence received from the Social Security Agency on 27th January 2009 addressing some of the issues of this consultation document is attached at Appendix one for Members attention.

 

Summary of the Consultation Document

 

      Proposal

 

      In order to provide a better service to customers, the Social Security Agency (SSA) is proposing to make changes to the way services are delivered through its local office network of Jobs & Benefits and Social Security Offices.  It is envisaged that the changes will be introduced on a phased basis over 3 years, starting in October 2009.

 

      Background

 

      The Agency currently delivers its services to around 550,000 customers through a network of 35 Jobs & Benefits/Social Security Offices dispersed throughout the main cities and towns in Northern Ireland and through a number of centralised benefit branches.  The local office network is mainly responsible for the administration of Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance, Social Fund, National Insurance Number applications/allocations and the provision of information and advice on the broad spectrum of social security benefits.  The current front office services provided by Social Security Agency staff in local offices, including new claims, national insurance number applications, information and advice and over the counter payments are not affected by the proposed changes.  The proposed changes relate to how these services will be delivered in the future.

 

      Drivers for Change

 

      The proposed changes are driven by two main factors:

 

A)      The Need to Improve, Modernise and Make Services more Accessible for Customers –

 

          The Agency recognises that a more modern and effective telephony system could provide a major opportunity for increasing customer accessibility to its services.  Independent customer research recently undertaken by PricewaterhouseCoopers, on behalf of the Agency, indicates that there is scope for improvement in the telephony service provided to local office customers.  Feedback from Social Security Agency frontline staff would also suggest that many of the enquiries raised by callers to offices could be dealt with by telephone.

 

B)      Viable Business Model Going Forward –

 

          Following an in-depth assessment, the Agency concluded that its staff are spread too thinly across the network and, consequently, its ability to deal with future major changes and continue to provide a high standard of customer service into the future is severely constrained.  Consolidation of the current 74 back?office Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance and Social Fund processing teams, which are spread across 35 sites, into Benefit Processing Centres is, therefore, unavoidable.

 

      Proposed Changes

 

      The Agency recognised the importance of local access to its services and therefore the consultation document states that proposed changes to the current local service delivery model, summarised below, are premised on the basis that a strong network of public offices delivering frontline services will continue to exist:

 

·         Back office processing for Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance and Social Fund will be centralised in 18 Benefit Processing Centres located on 16 sites;

·         National Insurance Number processing will remain centralised in 3 locations;

·         The introduction of an enhanced telephony service including low/fixed rate calls;

·         The  creation of dedicated Telephone Support Units for each Benefit Processing Centre;

·         Extension of existing appointment system to include the majority of current caller traffic;

·         The introduction of Customer Access Phones in front offices which will connect the customer to the ESA Centre, Social Fund Crisis Loans Tele-Claims Unit or an expert benefit adviser in the District Telephone Support Units; and

·         Access to the Agency’s website

 

      The consultation document makes the following key points with respect to the proposed changes:

 

      Centralisation of Back Office Processing – at present most customer contact with back office staff is conducted via the telephone or by post and this is expected to continue.  It is not anticipated, therefore, that centralisation of back office processing will have a major impact on customers.  However, it will have a significant impact for staff as it is anticipated that, over the 3 year implementation period, around 1050 staff will have to be relocated.  Approximately 850 of these staff will have to move from their current offices to Benefit Processing Centre locations and a further 200 staff will be redeployed to vacancies elsewhere in the SSA/wider Northern Ireland Civil Service.  There will be no redundancies as a result of the proposed changes.  In order to help reduce costs and minimise staff travel distances it is proposed to make best use of the Agency’s local office estate by locating the Benefit Processing Centres in the back office of 16 of the Agency’s current local offices.

 

      Introduction of an Enhanced Telephony Service – introducing a single telephone number for Income Support/Jobseekers Allowance (there are currently 38 telephone numbers, excluding fax numbers, in the SSA section of the BT telephone directory).  The Agency is exploring the feasibility of implementing a short dial ‘101’ contact number with the NI Direct Programme.  It is expected that calls to ‘101’ will be charged at a fixed rate of ten pence per call, irrespective of the duration, location or whether from landlines or mobiles.

 

      The full consultation document can be accessed at http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/consultations.htm.  The deadline for responses is Thursday 29th January 2009.   However, the Council has gained agreement from the Social Security Agency to submit a response after the deadline.  It has been agreed that the Council response is submitted on the 6th February 2009 after committee approval, subject to Council ratification.  A draft response to the consultation is attached.

 

Resource Implications

 

      N/A

 

Recommendations

 

      The Strategic Policy & Resources Committee is asked to note the content of the report and to approve the response attached at Appendix 2 to the consultation document and its submission to the Social Security Agency. Members are asked to outline any additional comments that they would wish to make in the response. 

 

Key to Abbreviations

 

      N/A

 

Proposed Council response to the Consultation 

 

      Social Security agency: ‘Delivering a Better Service for Customers – Changes to how Services are delivered through the Jobs & Benefits and Social Security Office Network’

 

        BelfastCity Council Response

 

      Belfast City Council welcomes the opportunity to comment on ‘Delivering a Better Service’. The Social Security Agency’s package of proposals aimed at improving services for customers of its local office network.

 

        BelfastCity Council is committed to working in partnership to improve the quality of life and well-being of all people living in Belfast.  As a city with high levels of deprivation the Council would emphasise the importance of ensuring, as the consultation suggests, that no front office sites will be closed in Belfast. 

 

        Figures published by the Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment in January 2009 indicate that the annual percentage rise in unemployment benefit claimants in Northern Ireland was the highest in nearly 33 years.  In light of this the Council would stress the need for Social Security Offices to remain open with adequate staff provision. The rising unemployment figures, particularly newly unemployed would indicate that more people will be making use of the benefits system than ever. 

 

        Given the complexities of the benefits system, in terms of completing forms, a move away from face-to-face contact in the current economic climate may have a detrimental effect on claimants.  It is important that claimants receive the best service possible and a fully accessible service.

 

      In terms of the agencies approach to supporting ‘vulnerable customers’, the Council would also be concerned about the implications of the proposed changes for those with difficulties in communicating their needs effectively, whether this is because of poor literacy or other issues.  The Council would seek reassurance that the needs of those for whom English is not their first language would be adequately addressed under the proposals. 

 

        The Council would like to see a more overt reference to the improvement in performance standards that will result from the changes proposed.  For example, what will be the impact on waiting times for customers?  What quality standards are being used to gauge the effectiveness of the experience that customers will have in using the system?  The Council would welcome assurance that the changes are being driven by a robust assessment of the needs of customers in an increasingly difficult environment.

 

        The Council emphasises the importance of ensuring, as set out in the consultation document, that any staff employed in sites in Belfast would be redeployed within Belfast.  The Council would draw attention to the fact that the Spatial Development Strategy identifies Belfast as the dynamic, metropolitan core, regional gateway and focal point of the regional strategic transport network.  It refers also to the regional advantages gained from the role of Belfast as the strong heart of the region and serving as an economic powerhouse and centre of administration.  It further acknowledges that securing a strong and vibrant CapitalCity and Metropolitan Area is vital to the economic and social well being of Northern Ireland.”

 

            The Committee approved the proposed response, subject to the document being referred to the Party Groupings on the Council and to any further comments thereon being included prior to its submission to the Department of Social Development.