Council Tax Support appeals (grievances)
Whenever we make a new decision about your Council Tax Support, we will write to you. If you disagree with the decision, you can ask us for a written statement of how we made it, or raise a grievance (appeal) against it.
If you would like us to explain our decision before you decide whether to raise a grievance, please ask us for a written statement. We must receive your request within a month of when we tell you about our decision.
You can only raise a grievance against a decision which affects:
- your entitlement to a reduction under our Council Tax Support scheme
- the amount of any reduction you are entitled to
You cannot raise a grievance about the terms of our local Council Tax Support scheme.
How to raise a grievance
If you disagree with our decision, you must write to us. You cannot raise a grievance by telephone or online. Please make sure that you include:
- the decision you disagree with
- exactly why you think our decision is wrong
It is not enough to say that you disagree with your Council Tax Support. You must tell us the exact part of our decision which you are aggrieved with. For example, if you think your earnings have been calculated incorrectly, or you think you are in a protected group.
How the grievance process works
You can raise a grievance at any time. There is no time limit, but it will help us if you raise your grievance as quickly as possible after receiving our decision. Your Council Tax Support award will then be checked by someone who was not involved in making the original decision.
Once you have raised a grievance, we must reply to you within 2 months. We will tell you:
- whether we agree with your grievance
- about steps we have taken to deal with your grievance
If we do not reply to you within 2 months, or if you disagree with our reply, you then have 2 months to take your grievance to an independent Valuation Tribunal. You cannot take your grievance to the Tribunal unless you have already raised it with us.
The Valuation Tribunal is independent and is not part of Central Bedfordshire Council. They will decide whether our decision was correct or not. You can attend the hearing, but you do not have to. They will write to you, and to us, when they have made their decision.
If you would like to discuss our decision, you can contact us by phone, email, or by visiting one of our Customer Service Centres.
If you have decided to take your grievance to the Valuation Tribunal, you can find out more about this part of the process on the Valuation Tribunal (link opens in new window) website.
For independent help or advice about your appeal, you may wish to contact the Citizens Advice Bureau (link opens in new window).
Contact us
Telephone: 0300 300 8306
Email: benefits@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk
Please quote your benefit claim reference in all correspondence – your claim reference is either an 8 digit number starting with 900, or a 5 digit number. You can find it on any letter we’ve sent about your Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support.