Additional Information
On other specific areas Benefits may be unable to help with the
enquiry. In cases such as these we have given information in
relation to outside bodies.
Right of Appeal
If you are not happy with the decisions made about the
assessment of your claim you may ask for it to be looked at again
or you can appeal against the decision. Your appeal will be heard
by the Tribunal Service who are an independent service responsible
for hearing appeals on decisions on social security, child support,
tax credit etc. There are however certain decisions which you
cannot appeal against.
You should write to the Benefits Section within ONE CALENDAR
MONTH of the decision letter explaining what you think is wrong.
Your claim will be looked at again and if the decision is wrong it
will be changed. If the decision is correct we will write to you
and explain how the claim was calculated.
If you are still not happy with the decision and you wish to
appeal you should write to the Benefits Section explaining what you
think is wrong. Details of your claim will be sent to the Tribunals
Service.
Tenants Rights
The
Citizens Advice Bureau or the Councils Housing Advisory
Section can give you advice about your rights as a
tenant.
Working Tax Credit/Child Tax Credit
Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit are both taken into
account when assessing your housing and council tax benefit. You
therefore must inform us if you are awarded either or both of these
tax credits. For information about claiming these credits please
contact the Inland Revenue.
Income Support and Job Seekers Allowance
Both Income Support and Job Seekers Allowance are awarded by the
Department for Work and
Pensions. Income Support and Job Seekers Allowance are taken
into account when assessing your housing and council tax benefit.
You must therefore notify us if you receive either of these two
benefits. For information on entitlement to these two benefits
please contact the Department for Work and Pensions.
National Welfare Benefits
The
Department for Work and Pensions deal with
many other types of National Welfare Benefits. We need to know if
you are receiving any National Welfare Benefit. For further
information on National Welfare Benefits please contact the
Department for Work and Pensions.
Evidence to support an application for benefit.
The Housing Benefit regulations require us to obtain proof of
the information we are given. We cannot award housing benefit until
you provide certain documents. This means we need to see evidence
to support your application. This evidence must be original
documents. The application form advises you of the type of evidence
we need to see. If for any reason you are unable to provide all the
evidence required you must return your benefit application form
without delay. You may supply the information when it becomes
available. However, your claim will not be assessed until all the
information/evidence has been received.
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Benefit Advice FAQ
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A. How much rent and council tax should I pay while waiting
for my claim to be assessed?
We advise you to pay as much rent and council tax as you can
afford whilst we are dealing with your claim. This is to avoid
large arrears on both accounts as maximum benefit may not always be
awarded.
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