Date published: 01.09.08 - not release date

The London Borough of Croydon selects Northgate to revolutionise benefits service

Northgate Information Solutions, a leading provider of community justice technology solutions, today announces it has been selected by the London Borough of Croydon to provide a new and improved revenues and benefits service for its customers.

In a contract worth close to £1m over five years, Northgate will provide Croydon with a range of leading revenues and benefits solutions aimed at streamlining the management and reporting of council tax and business rates and improving the administration of housing and council tax benefits.

The Council will utilise Northgate’s innovative rules-based technology to speed up the benefits assessment process for customers wishing to check eligibility and claim their entitlements.

Croydon Council will benefit from:

-On-screen summaries of each customer’s status and transaction history, enabling staff to answer questions quickly and accurately;
-Secure self-service options, provided through the Government Gateway, where customers can access information online, for example to raise a query or set up a direct debit;
-Remote access for staff in the field, connecting them to the information they need at the right time, every time; and
-Fully-integrated workflow and electronic document management systems.

Nathan Elvery, Director of Finance and Resources at Croydon Council, said today:

“At Croydon we are committed to delivering continually improving services for all our customers. Having a 4 star service is not enough, so we are delighted to be working with Northgate to ensure our service continues to meet the changing needs and expectations of our customers. Both customers and staff will in future benefit from user-friendly systems aimed at providing a world-class service.”

Dave Meaden, MD, Northgate Public Services, also added:

“This partnership will enable front line staff at Croydon Council to make a real difference to the service they provide. We are delighted to be working with them to help streamline their revenues and benefits operations and enable staff to deal with customer queries and benefit assessments effectively first time, every time.”

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For more info:

Fellows’ Associates:
Kathy Sutton 020 7092 1801/ 07966 890401
Naomi Stevenson 020 7092 1803/ 07966 890403