Independent verification of your Revenues and Benefits services
Our Revenues and Benefits benchmarking tool and performance health checks use data from publicly available statutory returns and ONS data. We have collected and analysed the data over a decade to give you a clear picture of performance.
We have extensive knowledge and experience running Revenues and Benefits services, so we understand the challenges and environments different Local Authorities face.
See a clear picture of performance
Set achievable targets and KPIs
Realistic targets enable viable plans and build staff buy-in and confidence
Find service savings and efficiencies
Identify efficiencies and savings via wholesale change or micro-innovations
Future-focus your service
Use benchmarking to anticipate financial pressures before they happen
Revenues and Benefits Service HealthChecks
Our range of assessments delve into your services, providing actionable recommendations to strengthen your Council Tax and Business Rates collection, clarify Benefits workload pressures, and support budget planning and Local Government Reorganisation discussions.
Choose the assessment that fits your needs:
The Benchmarking Review builds on the free tool with a deeper analysis of Revenues and Benefits performance using national statutory returns and ONS datasets.
See your service performance against all local authorities and against geo-demographically similar authorities. The review highlights the levels your Council Tax and Business Rates collections can achieve in your borough, taking economic conditions into account.
The Benchmarking Review covers:
- Council Tax in-year collections performance
- Business Rates in-year collections performance
- Council Tax Support scheme generosity and service costs
- Arrears collection performance
- Housing Benefit New Claims performance
- Housing Benefit Changes performance
Benchmarking review outcomes
- A realistic assessment of the income you should expect to collect
- A comparison with councils that share your deprivation and workload profile
- Clarity on in-year performance, arrears recovery, Benefits workflows, and Council Tax Support impact
- A fast-turnaround presentation to support senior decision-making
- A strong baseline for planning and LGR preparation
The Strategic Review builds on the Benchmarking Review and gives you a deeper assessment of performance, structure, resources, and the wider service model.
It shows where you can raise income, improve performance, deliver value for money, and have an impact on your residents.
- Staff structure and resourcing – effectiveness of frontline staffing levels, support, specialist skills, and leadership
- Service operating model – the impact of key policies and approaches on performance, efficiency, and the customer experience
- Budgets and efficiency – the overall cost of the service in relation to the service’s workload and performance
- Council Tax Support scheme – the effect of the Council Tax Support scheme on the workload and efficiency of the service
- Systems, digitisation, and automation – assessing systems usage, configuration, digital transformation and automation initiatives on the quality, performance, and efficiency of the service
- Service transformation approach – long-term transformation plans in line with the Council’s wider objectives and examples across the sector
- Income maximisation opportunities– level of possible additional income generated within the service to offset financial pressures
Strategic review outcomes
- A grounded picture of what your service can realistically achieve
- Evidence-based options to increase income and reduce pressure
- A clear link between policy choices, design, and performance
- A practical roadmap for both fast improvements and longer-term change
- Strong evidence to inform budget decisions
The Operational Review builds on the Strategic Review with a detailed assessment of your service processes, policies, and management disciplines.
It identifies opportunities for optimisation and micro-innovations that, combined, improve service performance, efficiency, quality, and customer experience.
The scope covers the full set of core management disciplines:
- Knowledge – how information resources, policies and procedures are used to underpin service delivery
- Quality – how your quality management framework is used and its impact on workloads and quality assurance
- Performance – how productivity is monitored and benchmarked against other revenue services
- Workload – review how service demand peaks and troughs are forecast, monitored, and responded to
- Staff development – evaluate induction, training, and development activities within the service
Operational review outcomes
- Detailed insights into where and how to improve day-to-day service delivery
- Evidence-based opportunities for marginal gains that add up to meaningful improvements
- A clear, prioritised list of operational changes your teams can deliver now
- A full report and optional management team presentation
- A complete ground-level view of how to improve collections, workflow, quality, and customer experience
Senior consultants, from our Revenues and Benefits team, carry out each review and may include an on-site visit and a complete data pack prepared in advance. You receive a written report or presentation for commissioning officers, with an optional tailored briefing for the wider leadership team. Delivery is typically within one month.
The result: a stable migration delivered on time, with digital self-service from day one, faster processing times, and a 34% reduction in service costs within the first year.
The result of partnering with Liberata: reduced benefit processing time - from 14 to eight days, enhanced system stability, centralised call handling, improved accuracy in government returns and reliable reporting.
Start with our free benchmarking tool
Use our free benchmarking tool to see how your Revenues and Benefits service is currently performing against relevant authorities.
The benchmarking tool provides high-level insights into your collections and improves service performance, enabling you to set informed targets for performance and cost improvements.
Go deeper into Revenues and Benefits benchmarking
Benchmarking can help councils build a clearer picture of performance, priorities and improvement opportunities across key Revenues and Benefits services.
In our webinar, John O’Neill, our Partnership and Performance Director, shares how benchmarking creates insight to support service planning, strengthen decision-making and focus improvement activity where it matters most.
Why leaders choose Liberata to improve their Revenues and Benefits performance
With over a decade of experience in analysing statutory returns and ONS data, we have built a detailed national view of expected Revenues and Benefits performance across different levels of deprivation, geography, and service workloads and expectations.
We provide Revenues and Benefits services for Local Authorities across England. Our hands-on service delivery, experience, and expertise shape our recommendations and are grounded in real-world pressures.
Improve your Revenues and Benefits services with Liberata
Our benchmarking and assessment reviews highlight where you can bring real change to your Revenues and Benefits services.
Take the first step and speak to our team to find out how we can transform your services together
