Ensuring Single Person Discounts are applied fairly across Surrey

By working with NEC, Surrey County Council offered its boroughs and districts the chance to run Single Person Discount reviews at their own pace.

Tailored service across the county

Council Tax Single Person Discounts are vital in ensuring local authorities make the tax fairer, supporting those who live alone and without multiple incomes.

Single Person Discount Reviews check to ensure that only eligible residents are receiving Council Tax discounts. Knowing that several councils were looking to undertake a review, Surrey County Council signed a framework contract with NEC that could be used by any of its 11 boroughs and districts.

A previous external partner had taken a one-size-fits-all approach that didn’t account for Surrey’s diversity. Every resident received the same standard letter, regardless of where they lived, which had led to some confusion and complaints.

Simon White is Surrey’s Audit Manager:

“We wanted to offer Surrey’s boroughs and districts a painless, end-to-end service that wouldn’t add extra admin to their working day. We chose NEC because they would tailor their managed service to meet the precise needs of each council.”

Working with each council

The framework contract enables Surrey’s councils to approach NEC in their own time. Each one gets a dedicated Service Manager who designs the approach to meet their local needs. This might include whether the council wants to review its CTR claimant base, or whether NEC colleagues carry out updates to the Council’s systems.

Once the review is underway, the councils get regular reporting on progress and revenue impact until it’s all complete, usually in the space of 12 weeks.

So far, six councils have gone through complete the process, with 3 others currently underway. This includes Reigate & Banstead Borough Council, whose team already works in partnership with NEC as they manage the property visits required for Empty Property Reviews.

Seamless process

Across the six reviews, more than 70,000 claims have been checked and over £1.6 million in potential additional revenue identified. This is money that can be spent on vital services for people who really need them in Surrey, where around two thirds of the County Council’s budget is spent on looking after vulnerable children and adults with complex needs.

Simon believes that giving the councils greater control over the process has made a big difference to success:

“I’ve had no complaints at all, which is great, and I’ve had complete visibility on progress to date. We’ve now extended the framework to enable the remaining councils to take up the opportunity should they wish.”

“Working with NEC has enabled Surrey’s districts and boroughs to complete SPD reviews in ways that suit their individual communities and processes. That’s been key to success.”

– Simon White, Audit Manager, Surrey County Council