A PETITION has been handed in to Scottish Borders Council calling for a rethink of its benefits assistance service.

In November 2017 the council merged the customer, homelessness, and welfare benefits services to become one integrated department.

Now, a petition signed by over 200 Borders residents has been handed into Scottish Borders Council, urging the authority to employ officers with a specific remit to assist benefits claimants in applying for welfare.  

The petition further calls on the council to “ensure there are sufficient staff resources within Scottish Borders Council for maximisation of benefit entitlement in the Borders” and to “acknowledge the error made in not carrying out any public consultation” on the restructure.

The author of the petition and chair of the Borders mental health forum, Jenny Mushlin, said: “I’m very concerned that at a time when the benefits system has become so complicated the council has changed its service.

“There are now fewer welfare officers and they are all working across different services.

“I’m hoping this petition will give some understanding to councillors of what people are facing at the moment, and hopefully persuade them to hire more people in the future to help people with filling in of forms and other admin.

“The welfare benefits service was a much loved service which really helped people and the changes were made with no consultation whatsoever.

“We are calling for them to consult with people who claim welfare benefits as to what is needed.”

Councillors sitting on the Scottish Borders Council’s audit and scrutiny committee will hear representations from the petition’s authors and from council officers on Thursday, before making a decision on whether to accept or reject the petition.

Ahead of the meeting, Scottish Borders Council’s service director for customers and communities has written to councillors urging them to take no further action.

In her statement, she said: “The aim of the restructure was to ensure that the level of service provided continued and in some areas improved, ensuring Scottish Borders Council was prepared for ongoing welfare reform including the rollout of universal credit.

“The Department for Work and Pensions expectation on customers to self-serve online has created increased demands on Council services to assist customers.

“Prior to November 2017 the equivalent of 1.7 welfare benefit assistants were employed to assist with basic benefit enquiries including form filling with customers.

“We now have 49 customer advice and support advisors across a wider range of locations, with a remit to assist customers at the first point of contact with their enquiry whether they present in a locality office face to face, over the telephone or online.

“These advisers already deal with a range of benefit enquiries and applications as well as carrying out assessments for blue badges.

“The aim is to provide a holistic service where a customer can speak to the same member of staff on a range of topics.”