Appendix B:
LA background

Stoke became a unitary LA in April 1997. Before this date, Stoke on Trent City (District Council) was responsible for the administration of HB and CTB. Since becoming a unitary LA there has been little change in the administration process. Stoke covers 3 parliamentary constituencies:

• Stoke on Trent North
• Stoke on Trent South
• Stoke on Trent Central.

Population

Stoke has a population of about 254,000. The following Figure shows how the population has fluctuated since 1982.

Fig. B.1: Population – Stoke

Source: City of Stoke on Trent – Council Planning Office

Employment

Figures for the September 1996 Annual Employment Survey indicate that 108,000 people were employed within Stoke. These figures can be broken down according to the type of employment. The following Figure compares types of employment in Stoke with a neighbouring LA and with GB as a whole. The industrial nature of Stoke is reflected in the high proportion of its workforce employed in manufacturing.

Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Employment Survey 1996

Recent rates of unemployment are shown in the following Figure.

Source: House of Commons website, research paper June 1998

Deprivation

Figures supplied by DETR in its analysis of local government grant distribution, indicate that Stoke has a low level of social deprivation, but a higher level of economic deprivation in comparison to both England as a whole and non-metropolitan large authorities.

Social deprivation is based on factors such as:

• overcrowding
• type of accommodation
• homelessness.

Economic deprivation is based on factors such as:

• unemployment
• HB
• mortality ratio
• lone parent families.

Source: DETR 1996
Note: Lower negative figure indicates greater level of deprivation.

Benefit caseload

In 1997/98 Stoke paid over £56 million in HB and CTB. The amount of rent rebate represented the largest share of benefit paid out, at 50.44% (£28.37 million). The actual benefit payment details are shown in the following Figure.

Source: BFI questionnaire

Benefit administration

The staff complement for Stoke is 70.8 full-time equivalent staff to administer HB/CTB, overpayments and to carry out visiting and investigation duties. There are, however, currently a number of frozen (unfilled) posts. The cost of administering benefit per claimant is significantly lower than the national average for England, as shown in the following Figure.

Source: Audit Commission performance indicators for England 1996/97

The administration and processing of HB/CTB is centralised in the LA’s offices at Lonsdale Chambers, Stoke. The caller reception area is based in the nearby Swann House. Claimants can obtain information relating to benefit entitlement there or at an additional 12 housing area offices throughout the area. Stoke is currently operating a pilot study at the Meir area office, providing a decentralised benefit processing service.

Counter fraud

Included in the staff complement for HB/CTB is Stoke’s Visits and Investigation team, which comprises 6.1 full-time equivalent staff.

Stoke has shown a fall in performance, in terms of both WBS claimed and percentage of threshold achieved, between 1994/95 and 1996/97. An improvement is shown in last year’s figures submitted to Analytical Services Division (ASD).

Source: DSS
* GB figures for 1997/98 not available

The level of fraud that Stoke claims to have detected for 1996/97, compared to the GB average, is shown in the following Figure.

Source: DSS
* GB figures for 1997/98 not available

Results of our analysis of Stoke’s WBS claims are at Appendix N.