Revenues and benefits statistics

Waiting for an internal review by Dacorum Borough Council of their handling of this request.

Dear Dacorum Borough Council,

Please can you provide the following information in relation to your revenues and benefits service for the years 2013/14 through to 2018/19:

Benefits - Number of benefits (Housing, rent etc) at 31 March
Benefits - Number of new claims processed in the year
Benefits - Number of change of circumstances processed in the year
Benefits - Number of FTEs in establishment
Benefits - Budgeted employee/agency costs for the year
Benefits - Actual employee/agency costs for the year
Benefits - Benefits administration grant/subsidy received (£)

Council tax - Number of residential properies as 31 March
Council tax - Number of new properties in the year
Council tax - Number of council tax support claimaints as 31 March
Council tax - Number of new council tax support claims processed in the year
Council tax - Number of change of circumstances processed in the yar for council tax support
Council tax - Number of FTEs in establishment
Council Tax - Budgeted employee/agency costs for the year
Council Tax - Actual employee/agency costs for the year
Council tax - Value of annual council tax support administration grant (£)

Business rates - Number of business properties at 31 March
Business rates - Number of FTEs in establishment
Business rates - Budgeted employee/agency costs for the year
Business rates - Actual employee/agency costs for the year

Yours faithfully,

Tim

Freedom Of Information Mailbox, Dacorum Borough Council

Dear tim,
Thank you for your request.
Please note the Ref No/Target Date above - your request has been routed to the relevant department for consideration.
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Jake Seabourne, Dacorum Borough Council

Dear Tim,

 

Thank you for your request dated 21st May 2019 for information under the
Freedom of Information Act 2000.

 

You have requested the information set out in your email below. The
Council’s response is:

 

Benefits - Number of benefits (Housing, rent etc) at 31 March caseload

2013/14 - 9193

2014/15 - 9010

2015/16 - 8892

2016/17 - 8763

2017/18 - 8540

2018/19 - 8003

 

Benefits - Number of new claims processed in the year

2013/14 - 2948

2014/15 - 2398

2015/16 - 2400

2016/17 - 2193

2017/18 - 2099

2018/19 - 1936

 

Benefits - Number of change of circumstances processed in the year

2013/14 - 29012

2014/15 - 32196

2015/16 - 35020

2016/17 - 34977

2017/18 - 35258

2018/19 - 36410

 

For:

Benefits - Number of FTEs in establishment

Council tax - Number of FTEs in establishment

Business rates - Number of FTEs in establishment

 

We don’t keep a record of this and Information not held for prior years so
we don’t know. However, I can tell you that we currently have 46FTE across
revenues and Benefits.

This is a combined value because we teams that provide support to all
three areas, and so cannot provide an accurate split.

 

Benefits - Budgeted employee/agency costs for the year

Information not held at service level. Link below give details of staff
costs at directorate level
https://www.dacorum.gov.uk/home/council-...

 

Benefits - Actual employee/agency costs for the year

Information not held at service level. Link below give details of staff
costs at directorate level
https://www.dacorum.gov.uk/home/council-...

 

Benefits - Benefits administration grant/subsidy received (£) Subsidy
received
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk...

 

Administration grant

2013/14 - 799,636

2014/15 - 627,302

2015/16 - 595,208

2016/17 - 505,785

2017/18 - 467,960

2018/19 - 443,418

 

Council tax - Number of residential properties as 31 March

2013/14 - 61774

2014/15 - 62193

2015/16 - 62878

2016/17 - 63404

2017/18 - 64049

2018/19 - 64563

 

Council tax - Number of new properties in the year

2013/14 - 400

2014/15 - 496

2015/16 - 732

2016/17 - 689

2017/18 - 620

2018/19 - 568

 

Council tax - Number of council tax support claimants as 31 March

2013/14 - 9221

2014/15 - 8855

2015/16 - 8683

2016/17 - 8500

2017/18 - 8395

2018/19 - 8219

 

Council tax - Number of new council tax support claims processed in the
year

2013/14 - 2730

2014/15 - 2368

2015/16 - 2478

2016/17 - 2354

2017/18 - 2306

2018/19 - 2153

 

Council tax - Number of change of circumstances processed in the year for
council tax support

2013/14 - Information not held

2014/15 - Information not held

2015/16 - Information not held

2016/17 - Information not held

2017/18 - Information not held

2018/19 - Information not held

 

Council Tax - Budgeted employee/agency costs for the year

Information not held at service level. Link below give details of staff
costs at directorate level
https://www.dacorum.gov.uk/home/council-...

 

Council Tax - Actual employee/agency costs for the year

Information not held at service level. Link below give details of staff
costs at directorate level
https://www.dacorum.gov.uk/home/council-...

 

Council tax - Value of annual council tax support administration grant (£)

2013/14 - Information not held

2014/15 - £158,954

2015/16 - £142,923

2016/17 - £160,596

2017/18 - £158,930

2018/19 - £153,800

 

Business rates - Number of business properties at 31 March

2013/14 - 4,523

2014/15 - 4,578

2015/16 - 4,507

2016/17 - 4,500

2017/18 - 4,537

2018/19 - 4,534

Business rates - Budgeted employee/agency costs for the year

Information not held at service level. Link below give details of staff
costs at directorate level
https://www.dacorum.gov.uk/home/council-...

 

Business rates - Actual employee/agency costs for the year

Information not held at service level. Link below give details of staff
costs at directorate level
https://www.dacorum.gov.uk/home/council-...

 

Regards

 

 

Please note that where the ratepayer is an individual (sole trader or
partnership) business rates account information will not be disclosed as
it is considered to be personal information and therefore protected by the
Data Protection Act 2018. Personal information is exempt from disclosure
under section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, unless one of
the conditions set out in Article 6 of the General Data Protection
Regulation is met. We are satisfied that none of these conditions are met
in this case, and we are unable to release this information.

 

 

Further information explaining the Council’s process for responding to
information requests is available on our website at
www.dacorum.gov.uk/foi.

 

If you have any further queries or information needs or if you are unhappy
about the way your request has been handled, please contact the Council’s
information service at: [Dacorum Borough Council request email], quoting our FOI reference
shown in the subject line of this email.

 

In accordance with Section 50 of the FOIA, you may apply to the
Information Commissioner for a decision whether, in any specified respect,
your request for information has been dealt with in accordance with the
requirements of Part 1 of the FOIA. The Commissioner would make a decision
on any application unless certain circumstances apply, one of which is
that the relevant public authority’s complaints procedure has not been
exhausted. The Information Commissioner’s contact details are as follows:-

 

The Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

SK9 5AF

 

Helpline: 0303 123 1113

 

Website, with online form: www.ico.gov.uk and email for online complaint:
[email address]

 

If you need further assistance please contact the information service as
indicated above.

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Jake Seabourne | Systems Development and Finance Lead Officer | Dacorum
Borough Council | The Forum | Marlowes | Hemel Hempstead | HP1 1DN

 

Telephone: 01442 228260 | Website: [1]www.dacorum.gov.uk

 

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Dear Jake Seabourne,

Many thanks for your response.

I am happy to accept that the staff are not apportioned in detail between the three services. However, I would ask that you provide budget and actuals for staffing and agency the services (even if not apportioned between the three services). The information you have directed me to only providess information at directorate level, and from your budget reports I am aware that budgets and spend are set at service level, so will be held and should be provided.

Yours sincerely,

Tim