Housing benefits have seemingly become a postcode lottery across the country, but how long do Stevenage and North Herts make their applicants wait?
Fresh housing benefit statistics have been released by the Department for Work and Pensions between January 2024 and March 2024.
The income related benefits are designed to assist applicants to meet housing costs for rented accommodation and in Stevenage and North Herts - with a total of 241 being processed this year.
See the table below to find out how your quickly housing benefits are processed in your area:
Application for Stevenage Borough Council can expect to wait of over a week longer than those submitting to North Herts Council, even though North Herts had more benefits cases to process than Stevenage.
In comparison with the rest of the country, North Herts Council is 117th fastest in the country while Stevenage is much lower at 227th out of the 443 recorded constituencies.
The graphic below demonstrates the average waiting times (in days) across the UK.
According to new data, many areas are much slower at processing housing benefits than others, some may take four days and others take up to 69 days however, Wales and Scotland boast significantly lower wait times overall.
Cllr Ian Albert, Executive Member for Finance & IT at North Herts Council, said: “We are just outside the top 25% of authorities in the country and above average in Hertfordshire, but we are always looking to improve our customer service.
“Delays can be sometimes caused by needing more information from the applicant, or it can be bad timing if a payment misses the weekly scheduled payment run.
"In addition, if a claim is submitted after close of business on Friday and it starts being processed on Monday, that’s already three days. If we are made aware of urgency, such as a threat of eviction, we can prioritise the claim.
“The fastest way to apply is by using our online eBenefits service, and if you have any queries you can request a callback from a Benefits Officer.”
If you have been affected by longer waiting times in North Herts, get in touch via the assignment.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here