- It's not just for pensioners
- It's not just for the unemployed
- It's not just for single parents
- returning your claim form promptly.
- giving us as much evidence as you can when you return the form (otherwise we will have to write to you again which will delay settling your claim).
- reading carefully any letters we send you so that we can correct any mistakes straight away.
- asking us to check what your benefit is likely to be if you rent from a private landlord.
- telling us about any change in your circumstances straight away. If you don't do this we might give you too much benefit which you will have to pay back later.
Customer Charter
Help with rent and/or Council Tax?
Do you have a friend or relative who thinks they may be entitled to some help with their rent or council tax, but they won’t apply because they hate filling in forms?
With effect from Monday 6 October 2008, The Benefits Team are offering a new "Telephone Claim" service for customers.
Customers just need to ring 01748 827108 and tell us they want to apply for help with their rent and/or council tax. Our friendly staff will then arrange to call them back at a time suitable to them.
We will then complete the form with the customer over the phone and post it out to them. The phone call will usually last between 10 and 15 minutes. All the customer needs to do is check the information, sign the declaration, and return the form to us, along with relevant documentation. It’s as simple as that. No filling in long forms, deliberating over which sections to complete and which sections to leave! We will do all that for them! We will even send a covering letter with the application form, detailing exactly what documentation the customer needs to send back with the form.
If you would like any further information regarding this new service, please contact Tracy Clarkson on 01748 827109 or Jackie Allen on 01748 827108.
Pages in this section
- Who can claim?
- Information and advice on qualification for housing and council tax benefit.
- How do I claim benefit ?
- Application form and information on location of Community Offices are here.
- How is benefit paid
- Includes payment dates and details of how benefit is paid
- Backdating and Appeals
- Backdating and appeals
- Benefit fraud
- This section of the website gives information on how to report possible benefit fraud.
- Community offices
- Information about our Local Community Offices, including contact details, opening times and list of services offered
- Contacting us
- Information on how to contact the Benefits Team and when and where surgeries are held.
- Frequently asked Questions
- Frequently asked questions
- Save Money and Energy
- Advice and Information on how to save money and energy
- The Rent Service
- The Rent Service is a government agency providing a rental valuation service to local authorities in England, supplying them with a range of valuations to assist them in settling claims for housing benefit
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Last updated:
16 April 2010
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