Appeals

If you disagree with a decision we make about your Housing or Council Tax Benefit, you can appeal to the independent Appeals Tribunal and the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure our final decision is the right one. (External site)

Please browse the following links for more information about our appeals process:

• Do I have grounds for an appeal?
• How do I ask for a revision?
• Who is the person affected?
• What is the Statement of Reasons?
• How do I ask the Appeals Tribunal to consider the Council's decision?

For all other enquiries about our Appeals process, please contact our Benefits section at the Civic Centre on (0115) 901 3970 or email housingbenefits@gedling.gov.uk.

Do I have grounds for appeal?

You may have grounds for appeal if you feel a decision made about any of the following is incorrect:

• The amount of benefit payable
• The rent eligible for benefit
• The calculation of a claimant's income
• The calculation and recovery of overpayments

Please note that some decisions (mainly administrative) do not carry a right of appeal. In this case, we will notify you of the appropriate course of action.

How do I ask for a revision?

The affected person must write to our Benefits section within one calendar month of the date of the notification letter.

In exceptional circumstances, we will extend this limit for requesting a decision to be revised. Here, the person affected must write to our Benefits section at the Civic Centre giving reasons for not requesting a revision at the appropriate time.

In any case, we will not consider a later request for a revision where the request is made 13 months after the decision notice was first issued.

Who is the person affected?

When making an appeal, the person affected is considered to be either the claimant or someone appointed by the Courts and agreed by the council to act on behalf of the claimant. This may include:

• A landlord or agent in matters relating to whom benefit payments are made
• Any person from whom, it is determined, an overpayment is to be recovered

This means that only a claimant can ask to reconsider decisions regarding benefit entitlements.

Landlords and agents may only ask to revise decisions about whether payment should be made to a landlord and whether the decision to recover an overpayment from the landlord/agent has been correctly made.

What is the Statement of Reasons?

The person affected can ask our Benefits section to provide a written Statement of Reasons explaining how we reached our decision.

Requesting a Statement of Reasons does not affect your right of appeal, although it may extend the time limit for requesting or seeking an appeal.

How do I ask the Appeals Tribunal to consider the Council's decision?

The person affected can make a written request for the Appeals Tribunal to consider the Council's decision providing the request is received by our Benefits section within one calendar month of the date of the decision notification letter.

A document explaining our decision-making and appeals processes is available for download below, along with the necessary forms needed to appeal:

• Our appeals process leaflet PDF (227KB)
• Appeals application form PDF (31KB)

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