Housing Benefit Subsidy Service

Description

The primary objective of this service is to maximise the amount of Housing Benefit payments the Council receives from the Department for Work and Pensions. This requires a detailed interrogation of the various subsidy reports, high-level reconciliations, and the review of individual benefits cases. Numerous subsidy reports and services are provided by Northgate Information Systems (NIS), and the process requires knowledge of the reports available, along with the understanding of how often and when they should be run. Once produced, the reports need to be interpreted, reviewed and reconciled in order to maximise the subsidy for the Council. Lot 1: To provide service which demonstrates the below a) Subsidy Maximisation • Guidance on the processes which need to be run to enable the claim to be submitted. • Guidance upon the work required following the production of the reports produced (i.e. where intervention is required by assessment staff). • Reconciliation of I-World subsidy reports. • Investigation and resolution of I-World subsidy discrepancies. • Reconciliation of I-World posting reports to feeder systems and the General Ledger. • Reconciliation of cancelled and out of date cheques to ensure they are reflected correctly within the final claim. • Ensure the correct allocation of manual adjustments to the appropriate cells within the final claim form. • Variance analysis to previous year's audited claim and investigation of major variances. • Sampling of values within subsidy to identify any anomalies. • Assist with the audit and resolve any queries which may arise with a view to protecting the Authorities subsidy position. • Working with the service to improve quality going forward • Assistance with Finance Service to ensure required subsidy related and other government returns are accurately submitted in a timely manner • Assistance with compilation of reporting data to Senior Managers and members b) Audit Testing • Performing initial testing and 40+ and any other further testing for the Final Grant Claim, for sample re-performance by the designated External Auditors • Management of and co-ordination with audit staff - internal and external • Provision of in-year data analysis and statistical information around benefit entitlements, payments, overpayments, recoveries and quality issues (errors), as relevant, to inform management decisions and action around Service performance improvements. • In year service-related audit testing, housekeeping reporting/ management and correction work • Facilitation of internal auditors in managing planned audits c) Subsidy Financial Services: • Weekly reviewing of audit trails • Weekly review of Sub030 subsidy report & completion of reconciliation • Weekly update from Sub030 Report of cell values for overpayments • Weekly review of subsidy risk cells • Annual compilation of 1st advance claim, for review & sign off • Annual compilation of 2nd advance claim, for review & sign off • Annual compilation of pre-audit year-end final claim for review and sign off • Assist annually in the audit process of the final claim, including initial and subsequent testing for audit re performance as required • Weekly reconciliation of reports for Rent rebates • Weekly recording and monitor of all Benefits BACs payments • Assisting annually in the Closing of Accounts process in reviewing the level of bad debt provision for HB, against the debt reported on the relevant IWORLD reports • Provision of HB data for CIPFA Housing or benchmarking returns, as and when required • Assistance with reasonable provision of other subsidy related reporting not listed here.