Universal Credit, the flagship reform of the benefits system, was introduced to make welfare payments easier for local authorities and social housing providers. It was hoped that combining the likes of unemployment benefit, housing benefit and tax credits into one monthly payment would simplify the process. While good in theory, problems with the roll-out, including many system design flaws and administrative glitches, are having a negative impact, not just on local authorities but the citizens that they serve.
For this reason, Universal Credit was one of the key topics on the agenda at our recent leadership forum. Our panel of leaders from local government and housing associations not only discussed the reasons behind some of the challenges but also looked at ways in which technology can be used to overcome them. Key to the discussion was the use of data to understand and help citizens.
For example, by understanding a citizen's credit history and identifying those that might have payment issues, councils will be better placed to work with residents likely to be impacted by Universal Credit early on. A council could provide tailored help and advice when it comes to budgeting, or if a resident has funds but is paid at an inconvenient time then payment deadlines could be shifted.
This analysis of data is key. Local authorities and housing associations already hold a large amount of data, but the challenge is in making sense of this data – in keeping with data consent regulations – to provide tangible benefits for the end user. These insights can also help better manage council resources and workloads by highlighting when they may need more employees or focused project teams.
Local authorities will also benefit from looking at the multiple service points where citizens make contact with a council. For example, having a 360-degree view of a citizen's payment journey may allow them to notice that a resident is behind with their rent or Council Tax and could map that back and see if they have or have not been paid their Universal Credit.
Through greater understanding, councils will be able to operate much more effectively – and provide a better service to citizens to allow Universal Credit to become the positive reform it was intended to be.
Gary Bell is executive director, managed services at Civica
This column is brought to you by Civica
