Broadland District Council (19 002 063)

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

Summary: Miss X complains about the Council’s pursuit of an alleged overpayment of benefits. She also says the Council has failed to pay her housing benefit when it should have done. Miss X has appealed to the tribunal. This part of the complaint is therefore outside our jurisdiction with no discretion to investigate. Miss X also complains the Council delayed implementing the Tribunal’s decision. The Council has now complied with the Tribunal’s ruling and so an investigation by the Ombudsman could not achieve anything more.

London Borough of Brent (18 014 762)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Housing benefit and council tax benefit 19-Jun-2019

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision to stop paying housing benefit to the complainant’s tenant. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.

Birmingham City Council (19 001 881)

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

Summary: Miss X complained about the Council’s recovery of an overpayment of housing benefit from 2018. The Ombudsman should not investigate this complaint. This is because it was reasonable for Miss X to appeal against the benefit decision and her appeal is currently being considered.

Havant Borough Council (19 001 585)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Housing benefit and council tax benefit 14-Jun-2019

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate this housing benefit complaint because the complainant can appeal to the tribunal.

Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council (19 001 188)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Housing benefit and council tax benefit 13-Jun-2019

Summary: The Ombudsman cannot investigate this complaint about the complainant’s claim for housing benefit. The complainant has appealed to a tribunal against the Council’s decision he was ineligible.

London Borough of Ealing (19 001 450)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Housing benefit and council tax benefit 13-Jun-2019

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint about entitlement to the 25% single person council tax discount. This is because the complainant could have appealed to the Valuation Tribunal. He will not investigate the housing benefit part of the complaint because the complainant can use her review and appeal rights.

Warrington Council (18 018 151)

Statement Not upheld Housing benefit and council tax benefit 11-Jun-2019

Summary: Miss B complained about the actions of the Council in recovering a housing benefit overpayment by an attachment of earnings. She says this is causing her financial hardship and is unfair. We find no fault with the actions of the Council.

London Borough of Barking & Dagenham (18 019 107)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Housing benefit and council tax benefit 10-Jun-2019

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision that the complainant must repay an overpayment of housing benefit. The complainant has a right of appeal to a tribunal against the Council’s decision.

London Borough of Enfield (19 000 113)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Housing benefit and council tax benefit 10-Jun-2019

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint that the Council has recovered too much money from the complainant regarding a housing benefit overpayment from 2002. This is because it is a late complaint, matters have been considered in court and by the tribunal, and because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.

Eastbourne Borough Council (18 013 737)

Statement Not upheld Housing benefit and council tax benefit 07-Jun-2019

Summary: Miss B complains the Council failed to advise her that she needed to claim Universal Credit to get help with housing costs. The Ombudsman finds the Council did appropriately advise Miss B on this matter when it wrote to her within a reasonable time of receiving her claim form for housing benefit. Although Miss B did not receive the letter, that was not as a result of fault by the Council.