Council Tax Reduction disputes and appeals

Check your Council Tax Reduction is correct

When we make a decision about your Council Tax Reduction that changes your award, we will send you a notification decision letter.

The letter will tell you the periods your Council Tax Reduction covers and how it is worked out. It will include details about the income we have used, other people in your household and what, if any deductions, have been applied. You should check this letter carefully.

If you don't understand or disagree with our Council Tax Reduction decision you can:

ask for a detailed written explanation (called a statement of reasons)
ask us to look at the decision again
appeal our decision to the Valuation Tribunal Service

You, or someone authorised to act on your behalf, must do this in writing within 1 month of the date of your notification letter.

If you do not contact us within 1 month, we may not be able to consider your dispute.

Ask for a written statement about a Council Tax Reduction decision if you don't understand it:

Within a month of you being notified of the decision, you can ask us to either explain our decision verbally or provide you an explanation in writing.

If you ask for a written statement, we will provide more detailed information about the decision. You have a further month from the date we reply to ask us to look at the decision again, or to appeal to the Valuation Tribunal.

Ask us to look at the decision again if you think it is wrong:

If you think we have made a mistake, or you have information or evidence that you think will change our decision, you can ask us to look again at the decision.

We will look at the decision again and advise you, in writing, whether it has been changed or will stay the same.

If the decision is not changed in your favour, you have a further month from the date we reply to appeal against the decision.

Appeal our decision to the Valuation Tribunal:

Although the Council do not deal with appeals against Council Tax Reduction decisions, you must have asked us to look at the decision again before you can appeal to the independent Valuation Tribunal Service.

If, once we have advised you that we have looked at the decision again, you wish to appeal against a Council Tax Reduction decision, you must contact the Valuation Tribunal Service.

The Valuation Tribunal will not accept an appeal against the Council Tax Reduction Scheme that has been set by the Local Authority.

There is more information about the appeal process on the Valuation Tribunal Service website.

Find the appeal forms.

Who can request an explanation or dispute a decision?

An explanation or a dispute of a decision can only be made by a person affected by the decision. This is:

The person claiming Council Tax Reduction
Someone appointed by the claimant or someone with power of attorney to act on their behalf

Where to write to:

To find out more about a Council Tax Reduction decision, ask for a written statement or request a review, you can:

Email us: housing.benefits@redbridge.gov.uk

Write to us:

Revenues, Benefits and Transactional Centre

The Benefits Service
Lynton House
255 - 259 High Road
Ilford Essex IG1 1NN

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