Merton’s Housing Benefit Services is proud to announce that the Government’s inspection team has found its services to be Excellent.

Merton Benefits Service has worked hard to improve the standard of its services, to the most vulnerable members of the community, and that hard work has now paid off.

Despite challenging national targets set by the Government, Merton Benefits Service has progressed from having a service classed as “Good” in 2005, to the current “Excellent” four services rating it has now been awarded for 2006.

The inspectors have praised the Benefit Office staff for exceeding the target time set for assessing new claims for benefit, while maintaining accuracy. They also noted that the council demonstrated a clear and actively focussed commitment to detecting fraud and therefore protecting public funds.

The assessment process of the Benefit Service will contribute to the Comprehensive Performance Assessment or (CPA) of all of Merton council’s services that will take place later in 2007.

Councillor Corinna Edge Cabinet Officer for Change Management and Performance said,

“We are proud of the achievements of our Benefit Team in offering an excellent service to our community and intend to continue and expand on these improvements over the coming years”.