Liverpool City Council (25 024 896)
Category : Benefits and tax > Housing benefit and council tax benefit
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 15 Jun 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a housing benefit matter. This is because Mr X has used his right of appeal.
The complaint
- Mr X complains the Council has refused to allow him to claim housing benefit and directs him to claim Universal Credit. Mr X disagrees with the Council, but says it is preventing him from making an appeal.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- We cannot investigate a complaint if someone has appealed to a tribunal about the same matter. We also cannot investigate a complaint if in doing so we would overlap with the role of a tribunal to decide something which has been or could have been referred to it to resolve using its own powers. (Local Government Act 1974, section 26(6)(a), as amended)
- The Social Entitlement Chamber (also known as the Social Security Appeal Tribunal) is a tribunal that considers housing benefit appeals. (The Social Entitlement Chamber of the First Tier Tribunal).
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council. I also considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- The Council has confirmed that Mr X has appealed to the Social Entitlement Chamber.
- Mr X has appealed to the social security appeal tribunal. Therefore, we cannot investigate his complaint as I explain in paragraph 2.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because he has used his right of appeal and by law we cannot investigate this matter.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman