If you want to launch an appeal you must do so
within one calendar month of the date on your decision
letter.
In all cases, we will advise you if you can appeal in the letter
informing you of our decision.
If you have been told you cannot appeal against our decision you
can still ask us to look at it again.
In these cases, you should contact us straight away and you can
request a written statement asking us to outline the reasons for
our decision.
However, if you would like the decision to be changed or you are
intent on an appeal then you must do this in writing.
You can download and fill in our
appeal application form to put your case to us.
You are entitled to ask for outside help and advice with your
appeal from advice centres such as the
Citizens Advice Bureau
(CAB) or a solicitor.
You must complete all the relevant boxes on the form, ensure you
include all your reasons for your appeal and sign it.
Alternatively, you can send us a letter explaining what you are
appealing against and why.
Whatever you choose to do you must then send either document back
to the address shown on your decision letter within a month of the
date on that letter.
After you have appealed we will offer you an explanation of our
decision and will look at it again if we have not already done
this.
If we agree that the original decision is wrong and the new
decision is to your advantage we will send you a new decision and
your appeal will stop.
However, if you do not agree with our new decision you can appeal
against it.
If we agree that the original decision is wrong but our new
decision is not to your advantage we will send you a new decision
and your appeal will continue against the new decision. You will
also have another month to comment on this new decision.
If we do not change our decision we will send your appeal, an
explanation of the law and facts used to make the decision and any
relevant papers to the Appeals Service which
will decide your case.
A copy of the appeal papers will be sent to you and your
representative if you have one.
You should read these carefully and if you do not understand
anything then you should contact us, an advice centre or a
solicitor for an explaination.
You will also receive a form which you must complete and send it to
the Appeals Service within 14 days of the date the form was sent to
you otherwise your appeal will stop.
The form asks you how you want your appeal to be looked at and you
can choose between an oral hearing or a paper hearing.
For a full explanation of your rights of appeal download our
housing and council tax benefit leaflet.
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