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View corresponding Funding Application

North East Lincolnshire Council (NELC)

Outcome of Expression of Interest: Invited to apply

Applicant details

Project title: Untangling universal credit, council tax and housing benefit entitlement for users

Current stage: Discovery

Partners involved: Filter on 'universal credit' and 'council tax' themes to see potential partners

I’m on universal credit. Can I still get help with my Council Tax?’

The introduction of universal credit (UC) has negatively impacted residents who are confused about the relationship between UC, Council Tax and Housing Benefit. They now have multiple agencies that they need to apply to in order to receive the benefits they are entitled to, making sure that they apply for the right benefit at the right time and stop applying for the wrong benefit. This is a common problem to all LA’s where policy is localised but the service pattern is the same and represents a great opportunity to collaborate, share learning and expertise.

Currently Council Tax reduction is applied for using the same form as housing benefit. This is causing confusion for residents and staff who are eligible to apply for universal credit.

 

We want to:

  • Understand why people are applying for the wrong benefits
  • Understand what channels would be most effective in letting people know about their eligibility for Council Tax reduction in relation to universal credit applications.
  • Deliver a final show and tell of our user research discovery about how we will develop the right IAG in relation to Council Tax reduction.

 

 

  • Digital and agile awareness
  • Introduction to service design
  • Introduction to product management
  • Agile for teams

Other training requests

It is important that all collaborators have a common language and approach. We have adopted agile delivery principles and have adapted to meet the needs of our business in doing so. This for us may be different from the purist view and learning around agile that GDS adopt. However, it is recognised that our practice may differ and if we do not think about agile practice together we all risk reverting to what we know. At NELC, we have a view of our gaps in knowledge and skills and is reflected in the training courses selected.

2 thoughts on “North East Lincolnshire Council (NELC)”

  1. As Assistant Director - BCKLWN:

    As one of the last authorities to be going live with Universal Credit, this aspect has been causing me concern. I’d be very interested in possibly taking part or being updated in the progress of this project.

  2. As Looking Local (co-owned by Kirklees Council):

    Interested to talk to you about this – lots of work already done at Kirklees Council and others that we can happily share.

Comments are closed.