After claiming: appeals, backdating and overpayment

If you disagree with a decision letter we have sent you regarding your entitlement to Council Tax Reduction, and you think you may be entitled to more, you can ask us to revise our decision.

What decisions can be appealed against?

You can request that we revise a decision we have made that affects:

• Whether you are entitled to a reduction or not
• How much of a reduction you are entitled to

Requesting a revision of a decision

When you ask us to look at our decision again, there are certain pieces of information you must include to enable your request to be dealt with as efficiently as possible:

• Your Council Tax Reduction claim reference number (this will begin with '500' and will be 9 digits long)
• The date of the decision letter you are writing about
• The reasons you are requesting we look at the decision again

You can email your request to the email address on your decision letter, benefits@herefordshire.gov.uk

Revising the decision

A senior officer will be responsible for looking at your request.

We will then write to tell you of our final decision within two months of your initial request. Our decision will include a breakdown of reasons as to why we have come to that final decision, including steps we have taken to deal with your request.

If you still disagree with our final decision

If you disagree with our final decision then you have up to two months from the date of our decision in which you can formally appeal against it to the Valuation Tribunal. The Tribunal is an independent body and do not form part of the council.

If you have not heard from us up to four months after your initial request then you can appeal directly to the Tribunal.

Full details of the appeal process can be found on the Valuation Tribunals' website.

The appeal hearing

The Valuation Tribunal will send you a written notice telling you when your hearing is to take place.

You do not need to attend the hearing if you do not want to, the hearing will take place with either one or no attendees, if agreed by the Tribunal. The Tribunal can consider the appeal with the submission and associated evidence.

Tribunals' decision

You will receive a decision notice, notifying you of the Tribunals' decision, usually within one month of the appeal hearing.

Should the Tribunal find in your favour, we will amend our decision and send you a revised decision notice from us to confirm your new entitlement to Council Tax Reduction and a revised Council Tax bill to reflect the reduction.

Where the Tribunal find in our favour, our decision will stand and your claim will remain unchanged.