Benefits call centre feels the pressure

By The Newsroom
Published 17th Aug 2010, 13:16 BST
Updated 18th Aug 2010, 13:46 BST
CITY council chiefs admitted today that a call centre they operate for council tax and benefits cannot cope with demand.

The number of calls to the council tax and revenue and benefits lines have increased substantially as a result of the recession and the rise in the number of people claiming benefits.

Council officials have outlined measures to deal with the demand - including increasing staffing and promoting online payments and applications.

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In the period from April 1 to June 25, 47.7 per cent of calls about council tax went unanswered, while only 13 per cent were answered within 30 seconds. For benefit calls, 17 per cent of calls went unanswered, while 35 per cent were answered within 30 seconds.

Councillor Phil Wheeler, the city's finance leader, said: "While most of our contact centre services are meeting or exceeding targets, there is clearly an issue in one area which we are working hard to address."