790.Housing benefit and council tax benefit (HB/CTB) are income-related social security benefits which are administered by local authorities (unlike other social security benefits, which are administered by the Secretary of State). Under current legislation, a local authority may review a decision they have made in relation to a HB/CTB claim at any time if there has been a change of circumstances, or the authority considers that the decision was made on the basis of an error of fact or law. Where a person wishes to dispute a decision of a local authority on a HB/CTB claim, regulations provide for an initial, internal, review by the authority, with a right to a further review by a Review Board comprised of councillors from that local authority. A Review Board’s decision may be challenged only by way of judicial review.
Part III: Social Security Administration Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Current position