We have just seen pension centre stats showing they are reasonably on target for change of circ.
We have a client who has been told by local team that changes are taking up to 3 months. If this is correct it affects our clients decision as to whether to stop part time work and struggle just before Christmas or continue working.
I checked with local team and they had been told the centre was now stockpiling work and in their experience 16 weeks was a better estimate of delays.
What can we do as advisors when presented with such huge variances in stats?
Most clients can get by but many live week to week and this one is not able to do so.
Anyone else struggling with myth and reality on this?

We are covered by the same PS Depot - Swansea, and we too are really 'struggling with myth and reality', ever since Bath was shut down.

It may not necessarily be a myth. Stats are always published for historic periods. As an example, early next year the DWP propose to publish HB/CTB stats relating to 2008/9. Performance a while back may well be be different to how it is now.
I recall a few (ok, too many) years ago receiving a call from a local newspaper demanding to know why it took Xmany days to process a HB claim. At the time of the call we had no work outstanding at all (really!) and were taking it in turns to haunt the counter waiting for customers to come in so we could process their claims...... the stats that had just been published related to 2 years earlier when we were in a very poor position.
I've felt for years that performance stats often present unrealistic pictures of how things are, but is that a reason not to publish them?

Hi Seal

Further to yesterday, in terms of huge 'variances in stats' apart from the obvious i.e. what's the criteria they base their stats on? I think its just another example of the DWP 'age of dysfunction' stemming from the very top as everything is centralised into massive depots that outsource work to smaller satelites.

All of which (i.e. massive workloads) must put tremendous strains on their workers mental and physical health, but i don't think the higher management could care a less about the plight of workers in Swansea or any other PS depot. Which by implication means there is a state of denial about what happens to a lot of older people's claims. Hence the good looking stats.

We are experiencing similar problems, and with scenario's where cases are dragging on, we are resorting to phoning up the higher ups in Swansea e.g. customer services and the local MP and bypassing everythingelse. I remember once i think it was Pete from Cornwall County Council had posted a query, and you replied with a load of names and phone numbers, so you know the relevant people.

I remember one time we asked for stats on PC interim payments citing the relevant regs because it was via the local liaison meetings, and the reply we got was, what are interim payments?

Andy