Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council (19 010 383)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Housing benefit and council tax benefit 07-Nov-2019

Summary: Mr X complains about the Council’s decision to refuse a housing benefit claim. The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint because the matter was appealed to a tribunal.

London Borough of Ealing (19 009 142)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Housing benefit and council tax benefit 02-Nov-2019

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Mrs A’s complaint that the Council paid her less housing benefit than she was entitled to. This is because it would have been reasonable for her to appeal to an independent tribunal.

London Borough of Lewisham (18 019 301)

Statement Upheld Housing benefit and council tax benefit 25-Oct-2019

Summary: Miss C complains about the contact arrangements for the Council’s housing benefit team and the move to online contact. The Ombudsman has found fault with one part of the Council’s administration of Miss C’s claim. But this did not lead to a significant injustice.

Birmingham City Council (18 006 855)

Statement Upheld Housing benefit and council tax benefit 23-Oct-2019

Summary: Miss X complains about benefits decisions the Council took that led to an overpayment of housing benefit. There was some fault by the Council and issues with its communication with Miss X. This led to some confusion. As a result, Miss X doubts her housing benefit payments have been correct and they may not have been correctly applied to her rent account. The Council agreed to make a payment to Miss X to recognise the time and trouble she spent pursuing the complaint. It agreed to re-examine and explain the decisions it made and correct any errors it found.

London Borough of Brent (18 011 545)

Statement Upheld Housing benefit and council tax benefit 22-Oct-2019

Summary: Ms C says the Council maliciously recalculated her housing benefit entitlement, then recovered an overpayment without warning and at too high a weekly rate. Ms C has a right of appeal to the Tribunal so we cannot look at the calculation of benefit paid. The Council was not malicious but did delay in dealing with her requests which was fault causing injustice. However, the Council paid her several sums in recognition of fault and has employed more staff which has reduced delays. Therefore, the Ombudsman makes no further recommendations to remedy the fault.

Huntingdonshire District Council (19 008 308)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Housing benefit and council tax benefit 21-Oct-2019

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint about a housing benefit overpayment because the complainant could have appealed to the tribunal.

Portsmouth City Council (18 016 275)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Housing benefit and council tax benefit 17-Oct-2019

Summary: Ms B, with the support of a representative from a personal insolvency practice, complains the Council continued to collect debts that were subject to an individual voluntary arrangement, and it pressurised her to agree to a repayment plan. The Ombudsman cannot consider this complaint because it is a matter for the court.

Birmingham City Council (18 017 592)

Statement Upheld Housing benefit and council tax benefit 14-Oct-2019

Summary: In dealing with a Housing Benefit claim the Council made many significant mistakes. In particular, it failed to consider relevant information, delayed, and failed properly to deal with an appeal. It caused injustice to the complainant in unnecessary distress, time and trouble. To put this right the Council will reassess the claim for the time the complainant was not employed and pay her £600 for the injustice it caused her.

London Borough of Hounslow (18 017 308)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Housing benefit and council tax benefit 09-Oct-2019

Summary: The Ombudsman cannot investigate this complaint about a housing benefit overpayment because the complainant appealed to the tribunal. In addition, it is a late complaint and there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.

Salford City Council (19 003 439)

Statement Upheld Housing benefit and council tax benefit 09-Oct-2019

Summary: Ms B complained that the Council paid housing benefit to her tenant in error and then refused to refund the money. The Council has now paid Ms B so the complaint is resolved.