Benefits
We administer Housing and Council Tax Benefits.
You can access our benefits online help service or general advice and information about benefits here.
Leaflets offering advice on benefits are also available in 12 different languages and in spoken format - to access them Click here.
Click here to view our Information About Your Claim leaflet.
**Please note that there is an error on page 5 of the booklet at row 10. The weekly deduction from Council Tax Benefit for a non-dependant aged 18 or over and working for less than 16 hours per week or aged 18 or over and receiving a benefit like Incapacity Benefit, contribution based Jobseekers Allowance or contribution based Employment and Support Allowance is £2.30 per week, not £0.
If you pay rent or council tax for your home and you are on low income you may be able to get some help by claiming benefit. The amount of benefit you will receive depends on who lives with you, the amount of money you have coming in, any other benefits you receive and any savings you have.
Important Changes to Housing and Council Tax Benefit
Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit help people on low income with their rent and Council Tax payments.
From 2 November 2009 we will no longer include money received in Child Benefit when working out how much income to include in the calculation of entitlement.
This means that families who already receive Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit will get more help with their rent or Council Tax payments from November. We will automatically recalculate these claims.
However this change also means that families who have previously just missed out on getting Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit may now qualify.
From the same date the lower capital limit (the amount of capital that we ignore when we work out benefit entitlement) increases from £6,000 to £10,000 for people aged 60 or over.
Click here to use our on-line benefit calculator to see if you might be entitled to help with your rent and/or council tax.
If you are not already getting Housing or Council Tax Benefit and you think you might qualify for help when the rules change you need to make a claim now. You can;
- call into the one stop shop in the Civic Offices in Union Street between 8.45 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday to Friday and pick up a form
- phone us on 01257 515410 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday to Friday and we can post you a form (we may also be able to visit you to help you to complete the form)
- apply online at by clicking here
- phone the 24 hour Claim Line on 01257 515479
One Strike
We have introduced a new sanction called 'one strike' against first time benefit claim fraudsters who have been either prosecuted or issued with a formal warning under caution. The sanction may mean that benefit may be reduced or withdrawn for 4 weeks after first offences committed after 1 April 2010. To find out more click here.
Benefits Online Calculator
You can try our online system to work out how much you could be entitled to.
Are you an e-Citizen?
You can access information about your benefit entitlements and payments by logging on to the e-Citizen pages. Landlords can view their tenants details through e-Citizen.
Benefits Online!
You can now make a claim for Housing and Council Tax Benefit on-line, click here.
Benefits Express
If you bring in your fully completed Housing/Council Tax Benefit claim form together with all the proofs and evidence we need we will work out your entitlement on the same day. To read more click here.
