Revenues and Benefits Processing

We have been working with Meritec for nearly four years now and have found their staff very efficient, professional and knowledgeable in their work. The overall performance and quality of work from their officers has been exceptional and they have integrated seamlessly into the benefits team proving to be a great additional asset. There is longevity in the staff they provide, and the majority of the officers have been with us since the start of the contract and are considered as part of our everyday team. Should we require recruitment then Meritec undertake all of this on our behalf including training the new officer on our policies and procedures and even how to use our laptops and systems. We have been using Meritec more recently to support training needs into wider welfare and budgeting support we can then provide our residents with. The staff found the training informative, engaging and the trainer proved to be exceptionally skilled and very good at getting the most form those attending. We look forward to our continued partnership

Donna Radley

Head of Benefits, London Borough of Barking & Dagenham

We found that we had fallen behind with our work, and even though we were clearing the volume coming in, we were making no headway with the outstanding volume. Having worked successfully with Meritec before, coupled with a competitive rate against the usual agency route, I was confident they would be able to provide high quality staff to help us. Not only were our objectives met but some added value advice provided by Meritec has assisted our usual practices moving forwards. Overall, I am extremely satisfied and would always look to Meritec for support rather than take the agency option.

Pam Siddall

Head of Revenues, Benefits & Customer Services
Unity Partnership, Oldham

Meritec have been great to work with and we have found they deliver a professional service with consistent high-quality standards and they embrace the guidance we present them with to maintain our work continuity. The staff are very friendly, knowledgeable and have felt like part of our team rather than a distant relationship. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Meritec to any other council looking for temporary or flexible support in Benefits.

Marcus Lee

Revenues and Benefits Manager
Ryedale District Council

Having experienced issues with auditors, we wanted to consolidate and expand our Housing Benefit subsidy knowledge so approached Meritec to deliver some training.

From first contact to post training reviews, the service was professional, prompt and well presented. We were particularly impressed that they displayed a real interest in our objective, and provided a tailored solution for us.

We found the trainer to be extremely knowledgeable and he adapted the training to accommodate the delegates various job roles. The training has provided assurance that we are focusing on the key areas and more importantly has enabled us to maximise our subsidy.

I would recommend Meritec without reservation.

Angela Richmond

Tech IRRV Service Assurance Officer, Rossendale Borough Council

Rochdale and Meritec have worked successfully for a number of years
across both Revenues and Benefits processing. Following an unexpected and unprecedented demand for additional resource due to the Covid19 pandemic we contacted Meritec for urgent help in and support in April 2020 to help us stay on top of our HB/CTS workload as we ourselves were having to adapt to new ways of working.
Their response to help us was outstanding, within days they had increased the flexible support they
provided by over 100%, they worked with us to ensure a smooth start for the new staff and to ensure their skills were targeted exactly where needed allowing us to concentrate on other areas. As always, their knowledge and interpretation of the legislation was of an extremely high standard, I would have no hesitation in recommending Meritec to other LA’s.

Hazel Ternent

Operations Manager - Benefits
Rochdale Borough Council

Craven District Council has been fortunate enough to work with Meritec for many years now, and we’re proud of our association with this locally based business. We’re a small council and our resource requirements might seem to some fairly minimal. However, with a combined Revenues and Benefit Team of only a dozen officers we feel every absence and vacancy. Fortunately, our flexible relationship with Meritec allows us to be agile in in meeting whatever requirements we might have – we can turn the resource on and off as we need it and we can select from benefits, council tax and NNDR expertise and be confident that the work is always of the highest quality.
Meritec are the perfect partners for us – they listen to our requirements, offer constructive advice and between us we always reach a solution that works for the team, the Council and our residents

Deborah Davies

Revenues and Benefits Manager
Craven District Council

We have worked with Meritec for a number of years and have found their flexible approach to be both convenient and efficient. Meritec have always managed to provide us with the support we’ve needed and have enabled us to get through times of crisis regarding workloads and resources. Being able to arrange short contracts when necessary has allowed an extra level of flexibility. Their experienced and knowledgeable people have always performed to our desired standards and very often exceed expectations.

Peter Moss

Operations Manager: Revenues & Benefits - Collection & Support
Rochdale Borough Council

Bolton has a relationship with Meritec that goes back many years and cuts across a range of services including Revenues, Benefits, Customer Services, Money Skills and Welfare Support. Meritec has always been responsive to our staffing needs, consistently finding the right staff at the right time. Just as important has been the wrap around support Meritec provide after staff have been placed with us, including HR related management and performance monitoring. Based on my experience of working with Meritec for over a decade I have no hesitation in recommending their services.

Phil Rimmer

Assistant Director Revenues, Benefits and Customer Services
Bolton Council

Following a redesign of our Benefits, Council Tax and Customer Services teams into a Single Front Office environment, we approached Meritec to provide us with an introduction to Housing Benefit. We found them to be flexible, professional and responsive to our requests, the course was very thorough, the materials provided were excellent and the training was very well received by the delegates. Following on from the success of that course we booked Meritec for a Persons From Abroad Training Course and have booked a further introduction to Housing Benefit and Council Tax support course. I would recommend Meritec Training courses to other Local Authorities.

Camilla Schofield

Head of Human Resources and Organisational Development
Chorley Council

The Authority had never used off-site benefit processing
support before, so it was important that we identified an organisation who could provide us with a quality and efficient service in order to establish the confidence and trust amongst staff required for the relationship to develop positively. Meritec were flexible in their arrangements as we worked through the implementation and quickly identified three excellent staff members for our work. These staff have made an instant impact on our outstanding work, through their hard working and committed
approach, and have demonstrated an excellent level of HB knowledge and expertise. Dealing with
Meritec has increased our resilience to deal with demands at an uncertain time for HB caseloads, with a
flexible and cost-effective solution

Kaye Holmes

Strategic Manager Revenues and Benefits
City of Stoke on Trent

Warrington & Meritec have worked successfully together for many years so the Council had no hesitation in contacting them when needing some additional capacity.
Like many Revenues and Benefits Services, Warrington had spent the last couple of years processing the various covid and cost of living grant schemes. We needed help to clear the backlog of work that had accumulated during this time and contacted Meritec to source additional capacity. Meritec were able to supply experienced and high quality processing staff – both for Council Tax & Business Rates. Backlogs are now much reduced, and we have been able to return to normal processing times. I’d be happy to recommend Meritec for the quality and commitment of their staff and their partnership approach.

Adrian Webster

Head of Benefits & Exchequer Services
Warrington Borough Council

Haringey have used off-site processing in previous years by other providers so when we were
approached by Meritec I was very hesitant as a result of bad experiences with quality of work
in the past.
With limited resources and ever increasing workload we needed support to help clear down
the outstanding work and decided to work with Meritec.
Having worked with them for the past few months I can honestly say it was the best decision
we made. We have found Meritec great to work with. They are professional with consistent
high quality standards and they embrace the guidance we may present them with to maintain
our work continuity.
The staff are very knowledgeable and have demonstrated this through the high quality output
of their work and I am happy to recommend Meritec to other Local Authorities.

Amelia Hadjimichael

Head of Benefits
London Borough of Haringey