Housing Benefit: Kent

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many calendar days on average each local authority in Kent took to process (a) new housing benefit claims and (b) housing benefit claims submitted by existing recipients as a result of a change in circumstances in each of the last five years. (241781)

The available information is in the following tables.

*Average days to process new housing benefit claims: Kent local authorities*
Local authority	20003-04	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07	2007-08
Ashford	49	44	36	33	27
Canterbury	36	41	38	23	17
Dartford	38	45	30	27	23
Dover	56	41	63	42	23
Gravesham	48	30	27	51	32
Maidstone	26	25	18	13	11
Medway	65	45	34	30	34
Sevenoaks	64	38	50	32	34
Shepway	47	63	66	52	24
Swale	159	90	36	33	21
Thanet	54	35	45	25	21
Tonbridge and Malling	25	25	24	34	36
Tunbridge Wells	23	25	25	25	19
Notes: 1. Housing benefit claim processing times are measured in calendar days from the day a claim is received to the date a decision is made. 2. Housing benefit claim processing performance data is supplied to DWP by local authorities and is un-audited. Source: Local Authority Management Information returns to DWP.

*Average days to process housing benefit changes of circumstances: Kent local authorities*
Local authority	20003-04	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07	2007-08
Ashford	13	9	11	10	5
Canterbury	8	8	20	20	15
Dartford	14	16	10	9	12
Dover	25	12	22	16	8
Gravesham	18	15	12	41	11
Maidstone	11	7	5	4	4
Medway	23	13	14	10	7
Sevenoaks	25	10	18	7	5
Shepway	12	24	43	29	15
Swale	119	64	17	15	7
Thanet	8	5	10	7	8
Tonbridge and Malling	3	3	6	13	10
Tunbridge Wells	7	6	5	4	5
Notes: 1. Housing benefit change of circumstances processing times are measured in calendar days from the day a change is notified to the date a decision is made. 2. Housing benefit change of circumstances processing performance data is supplied to DWP by local authorities and is un-audited. Source: Local Authority Management Information returns to DWP.

Volume 485: debated on Monday 15 December 2008