Archive has 118 results
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London Borough of Hackney (20 000 837)
Statement Closed after initial enquiries Housing benefit and council tax benefit 14-Aug-2020
Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s refusal to pay a woman’s claims for housing benefit, and about the way it dealt with her when she became homeless. This is mainly because the woman has complained late about these matters. She also had the right to go to a tribunal about the Council’s housing benefit decisions.
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North East Derbyshire District Council (19 015 495)
Statement Closed after initial enquiries Housing benefit and council tax benefit 13-Aug-2020
Summary: Mr X complained the Council bullied and harassed him in relation to benefits claims, and wrongly applied for an anti-social behaviour injunction against him. We will not investigate this complaint. We cannot investigate decisions made by the courts, and it is unlikely we would find fault in the central issue about housing benefit and council tax support.
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Newcastle upon Tyne City Council (19 016 234)
Statement Upheld Housing benefit and council tax benefit 11-Aug-2020
Summary: Miss X had to keep providing information to the Council because of a problem with its online system. As it did not think Miss X had provided the information, the Council ended Miss X’s benefit claims. It then wrongly advised Miss X to claim Universal Credit so she lost her working tax credit. The Council has since made up the financial difference to Miss X through Direct Housing and Hardship payments. However, from March to late September Miss X was in dire financial circumstances. The Council will apologise to her and provide a payment for the distress, time, and trouble it caused.
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Bath and North East Somerset Council (20 002 169)
Statement Closed after initial enquiries Housing benefit and council tax benefit 10-Aug-2020
Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint that the Council has not processed a claim for housing benefit that the complainant made in 2018. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.
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London Borough of Merton (20 000 581)
Statement Closed after initial enquiries Housing benefit and council tax benefit 07-Aug-2020
Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Miss B’s complaint about Housing Benefit reduction. This is because it is reasonable for Miss B to ask for a Council review or appeal so we could not achieve any worthwhile outcome by starting an investigation.
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Statement Closed after initial enquiries Housing benefit and council tax benefit 04-Aug-2020
Summary: The Ombudsman cannot investigate this housing benefit complaint because the complainant has appealed to a tribunal.
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Bury Metropolitan Borough Council (19 019 463)
Statement Closed after initial enquiries Housing benefit and council tax benefit 04-Aug-2020
Summary: The Ombudsman cannot investigate this housing benefit complaint. This is because the complainant appealed to the tribunal and because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.
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London Borough of Sutton (19 009 408)
Statement Upheld Housing benefit and council tax benefit 30-Jul-2020
Summary: Ms T complains that, when she contacted the Council for help with housing costs, it delayed in informing her she had to apply for universal credit causing her financial loss. The Ombudsman finds the Council was at fault in failing to inform Ms T at the outset that she had to apply for universal credit rather than housing benefit. The Council has agreed to make a payment to Ms T in recognition of the injustice caused.
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London Borough of Richmond upon Thames (20 001 903)
Statement Closed after initial enquiries Housing benefit and council tax benefit 29-Jul-2020
Summary: The Ombudsman cannot investigate this complaint that an officer committed perjury. This is because the complaint involves matters that have formed part of legal proceedings and because the officer is not employed by the Council.
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London Borough of Barnet (19 011 058)
Statement Not upheld Housing benefit and council tax benefit 23-Jul-2020
Summary: it was reasonable to expect Ms X to have appealed to an independent tribunal to challenge the Council’s decisions that she was overpaid Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support and the overpayments were recoverable. The Council was not at fault for writing to Ms X each time it reassessed her benefit award to reflect changes in her partner’s earnings.