BRISTOL City Council's benefits service has been condemned as "poor" in a report by the Audit Commission today.

The commission, which is an independent watchdog, has given the service a zero-star rating and says it has "uncertain prospects for improvement".

The service acts as an agency for the Government, paying out more than £200 million a year to more than 62,000 people in the city.

A low score has been given because:

● People wait too long for their claims to be processed

● Some people find letters they receive about their benefits claim hard to understand

● Phone callers with benefit queries can wait a long time before they speak to an adviser and the problem is getting worse

● People have to wait too long for a review of their case

● More consistent action to reduce fraud would help cut costs and save taxpayers' money.

The council has responded by saying it has drawn up an action plan of improvements, some of which have been introduced.

Philip Suter, Audit Commission senior manager, said: "Successfully claiming benefits is an essential safety net for many people, especially during the current economic downturn.

"Bristol City Council has much to do to improve the benefits service for local people.

"It recognises this and has begun to tackle the problems. It is committed to providing a better customer service, building on work already started."

The commission says the service only has two strengths – people can make a claim at several places across the city, and fraud is successfully prosecuted.

Commission inspectors have urged that the council must do more to improve the quality of service and make it easier for people who phone up with queries.

The council should also work more closely with organisations to help people claim the benefits they are entitled to.

Benefits are paid to more than 43,000 who claim a discount on their council tax payments.

They are also paid to more than 19,000 people who claim housing benefit of which 7,800 are tenants of Registered Social Landlords and 11,700 are tenants of private landlords.

The service, which is manned by 181 staff, had running costs last year of nearly £8 million of which half is paid by the DWP (Department of Work and Pensions) and the rest by the council.

The authority said it accepted the commission's judgment but said it did not believe the prospects for improvement were "uncertain" as described.

It added that the Audit Commission's failure to acknowledge the city's improved performance was "harsh".

Lib Dem Cabinet Councillor Anthony Negus said: "I accept the council's benefits service is not delivering the speed and quality that people in Bristol have a right to expect. We need to deliver a faster, more responsive service that offers value for money. All the areas of weakness identified are the subject of a detailed action plan and I expect to see improvement in all areas very soon.

"We were unhappy at the failure of the commission to acknowledge the improvements already made and we feel that this omission is unfair. They suggested that evidence of recent improvements was not sufficient to influence their judgement on the direction the service is going.

"In fact we were able to show inspectors that we deliver the most cost-effective benefits service of England's eight largest councils, known as the Core Cities, and have a customer satisfaction rating just short of 80 per cent."

Copies of the report are available from Bristol City Council, or from the Audit Commission website at www.audit-commission.gov.uk.