Jackie Yates, Director of Resources, submitted a report recommending that the Council continued to use its Risk Based Verification (RBV) process in 2019/20.  The process had been introduced by the Council in June 2010 following a recommendation by the Department of Works and Pension.  The process enabled processing of claims for Housing Benefit payments and Council Tax Support awards to be streamlined, thereby enabling customers to receive payments sooner. The approach also helped to mitigate risk and fraud entering the system.  The Council’s risk based verification policy principles had remained unchanged. Guidance to staff had been updated to reflect changes to the Council Tax Support Scheme agreed in 2018/19 with the scheme remaining unchanged for 2019/20.  The Risk-Based Verification Policy 2019/20 was appended to the report for endorsement.

Resolved:

(1)           That the Risk-Based Verification Scheme, as appended to the report, be approved;

(2)           That the continued use of a Risk Based Verification approach to evidence supporting claims for Housing Benefit and Council Tax support in 2019/20 be approved.

(Exempt information as specified in paragraph 7)