Issue - meetings

As detailed in the recommendations.

The Cabinet Member for Corporate Management provided an update on progress of the roll out of Universal Credit (UC) to Shotton Job Centre and the proposed Delivery Partnership Agreement (DPA).

It was requested that the Head of Finance, in conjunction with the Head of Housing and the Cabinet Members for Housing and Corporate Management, be granted delegated authority to authorise the DPA on behalf of the Council.

As part of the implementation of UC, which was being phased in by the Department for Work and Pensions, six Job Centre Plus sites including Shotton were chosen to pilot the introduction of UC.

From Spring 2014, UC would start to be rolled out in Flintshire and some single unemployed people served by Shotton Jobcentre would be required to make claims for universal credit claims instead of jobseekers allowance.  It was projected that Shotton Jobcentre would process around 50 UC claims per month.

The increased service provision pressures on the Finance and Housing Services would be funded by the Department of Work and Pensions.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the report and impacts be noted;

(b)       That delegated authority be given to the Head of Finance in conjunction with the Head of Housing and the Cabinet Members for Housing and Corporate Management to agree funding and to authorise the DPA on behalf of the Council; and

(c)        That reports be provided to Cabinet on the finalisation of the DPA and funding, and regular progress reports on the pilot.