Public Sector Forums

 

• Event Programme
• Venue - Joining Instructions
• Online Booking Form

Revenues and Benefits 2009:  Responding to Challenging Times 

21st January 2009, Sheffield

As the UK heads into the most serious recession for a generation, local government will have an important role to play in anticipating and meeting increased demand for services, while coping with the impact of reduced revenues. 

Being efficient, focussing on what really matters to your customers, and maximizing all available revenue will be critically important.

What will this mean for the community your council serves, and how can you best equip yourself to cope with the possible impact on your area?

This one day event will look at some key issues for revenues and benefits including:

• Efficiency - meeting greater demand with the same number of staff
• Right Benefit, right time - maintaining or improving average processing times in spite of increased volume of applications
• Reaching out to new claimants
• Cost effective ways to tackle fraud
• Maintaining high council tax collection rates

This is a chance to meet and network with peers and key suppliers while picking up practical tips from councils who are leading the way in improving processing times, reducing fraud and maximizing revenue collection.

Early bird discount applies until 19th December.

Confirmed Speakers include:

Chair - Jane Brady, Head of Revenues and Benefits, Kirklees Metropolitan Council

Delivering Efficiencies  - how to deliver key services more quickly with fewer resources -  Sharon Jones, Operations Manager,  Anglia Revenue Partnership

Low Cost, Effective Methods for Increasing e-take-up  - Andrew Burton,  Head of Revenues and Customer Services, Bassetlaw DC
This session will show how promoting direct debit payments for council tax can improve collection rates, and can be a low cost, cost-effective way of increasing revenue.

• the 4 C's are back
• Crunch time for Direct Debit
• Campaigning for channel hopping
• Change the record- home alone discount abuse Checkers that help benefit claimants
• Change leaflets we never forget

Debtor Risk Analysis  - Targeting your resources in debt recovery - Joe Samson, Senior Policy and Resources Officer, Coventry City Council 
This session will show how Coventry City Council is improving council tax collection rates: 

This session will show how Coventry City Council is improving council tax collection rates: 

• Using customer insight data to understand the service needs and behaviour or customers and tailoring delivery
• How to reduce recovery action without putting collection levels at risk
• Offering the right level of assistance to those who need it
• Targeted promotion of direct debit and council tax benefit

Best Practice in Non Domestic Rate Collection - maximising revenues while supporting businesses - Kevin Harford, Revenues Manager, Wakefield Metropolitan District Council
Wakefield has consistently delivered high rates of NDR collection.  This session will show how this is done and how the approach will be adapted to the current economic climate in order to best support local businesses while still maintaining this important source of revenue.

Using Voice Risk Analysis to Tackle Benefit Fraud and Increase Accuracy of Benefit Payments, David Ashmore, Head of Revenues and Benefits, London Borough of Lambeth
David will explore how this new technology is being embraced by the council and its customers to deliver dramatic improvements in accuracy and benefit processing times.

Working with Local Employers to Reduce the Impact of Redundancies - speakers to be confirmed