How to Claim
To claim Housing and Council Tax Benefit please complete an Housing and Council Tax Benefit Application Form [pdf document].
You can also telephone Customer Services on 01325 388514, for an application form or further information.
Once you have filled in your application form you need to bring it to the Contact Centre at the Town Hall
When you get to the Contact Centre
When you visit the Contact Centre, take a ticket for ‘Benefits’ and take a seat in the waiting area. You may need to wait, depending on how busy we are: our busiest times are usually Monday, the next working day after a bank holiday and lunchtimes.
The person you will see is a Benefits Assessor and they will deal personally with your claim or enquiry. They will also process your claim the same day. If you need assistance filling in the form they will help you.
You need to bring with you all your information and proof of your circumstances. There is a list inside the Housing and Council Tax Benefit form to let you know what we need.
The Benefits Assessor you see will either work out your benefit whilst you are here, or they will contact you by telephone, the same day, to let you know how much benefit you will get.
If you haven’t got all your information with you when you visit, we might not be able to sort out the claim straight away, but still come and see us as soon as you can; we will tell you what extra information we need, then when you bring it back, we can make a decision.