Benefits Service mission Statement

To administer the Council Tax and Housing Benefit schemes on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions for, Council Tenants, Private Tenants and Owner Occupiers in accordance with the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations 1987 and Council Tax Benefit (General) Regulations 1992 as amended.

To publicise these schemes and advise claimants about welfare benefits as appropriate.

If you have any queries / complaints about the way the benefit section have handled your claim please contact the section supervisor Kerry Herbert on (01527) 534059 .

Whats New

Legislation Changes

The Civil Partnership Act came into force on 05 December 2005.

For DWP benefits, including Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit, this means that same sex couples, who have formed a civil partnership or who are living together as if they were civil partners, will be treated in the same way as opposite sex couples who are married or are living together as husband and wife.

This will mean that some people, who previously claimed benefits as a single person, will have to re-claim as part of a couple.

From 05 December, failure to inform your local authority dealing with your Housing Benefit/ Council Tax benefit claim that you are forming a civil partnership or are living together as civil partners could mean that your Housing Benefit/ Council Tax Benefit is overpaid and you may be asked to repay it.