Revenues and Benefits Services

Revenues service

Award benefit to help people pay their rent and council tax
Collect council tax
Collect business rates
Collect rents for council housing and garages
Send invoices and collect payment for council services including pest control, trade waste and supported housing charges
Send invoices and collect payments of overpaid housing benefit
Investigate benefit fraud and take action against fraudsters including prosecuting serious offences
Award council tax discounts and exemptions
Grant rate relief to support rural facilities
Grant rate relief to charities, sports clubs and recreational facilities
Grant additional benefit, where appropriate, to help people who have difficulty paying their full rent or council tax
Take legal action against non-payers to enforce payment
Provide a wide range of facilities for customers to pay their bill

Give you advice and support if you have difficulty paying money you owe to us
Give you advice on your entitlement to benefits, discounts and other help
Help you fill in benefit claim forms and give general advice about other state benefits
In some circumstances, visit you at home to give you help and advice on claiming housing or council tax benefit
Put you in touch with other organisations that may be able to offer other support and advice

Aim to send you your bill within 15 working days of being told that you have taken a lease on, or moved into, a property
Send you a new bill within 15 working days of being told about any change in your circumstances that affect your bill
Provide help and advice about rate relief and other reductions
Give you at least 14 days notice of any payment that you need to make
Remind you within 30 working days if your bill is unpaid or underpaid
Make sure that any direct debit payments are collected on time and for the right amount
Give seven days notice before any enforcement action is taken against you

Aim to send your bill within 15 working days of being told that you have moved in (unless your have claimed council tax benefit, when we will send you a bill within five days of your benefit being calculated), or when a new property is given a council tax band
Send a new bill within 15 working days of being told about any change in your circumstances that affect your bill
Provide help and advice about discounts and other reductions
Give you at least 14 days notice of any payment that you need to make
Aim to collect at least 98% of council tax in the year it is charged
Collect direct debits on time and for the right amount
Send a notice seven days before any enforcement action is taken against you
For newly built properties, tell the Valuation Office Agency within ten working days that your property needs to be given a council tax band and give you the option to make payments on account

Consider all new claims for housing and council tax benefit within 27 days of receiving them
Assess your claim for housing and council tax benefit within 14 days of receiving all the information we need
Reassess your benefit within seven days of being told about a change to your circumstances
Visit you at home, at your request, if you have mobility or health problems
Protect public funds by detecting and investigating fraudulent benefit claims
Take firm action against fraudsters when we have evidence that a fraud has happened
Provide a free telephone number 24 hours a day for you to report any suspicions you have about someone committing benefit fraud

Send you a clear and accurate invoice
Agree not to take further action if you dispute an invoice until we have looked into the matter
Allow you to pay by instalments if you have genuine difficulty paying the invoice all at once
Send you a reminder within 30 days if you do not pay the amount we have asked for

Please have any reference numbers to hand when you contact us
Please pay the right amount on the right date. If you cannot make the payment contact us immediately for advice
If you do not understand something, or are having difficulty paying a bill, contact us immediately; the longer you leave it the more difficult it is to solve the problem
If you receive housing or council tax benefit, a council tax discount or a business rate discount and your circumstances change, contact us straight away in writing
When you move home, or leave a business premises, contact us immediately with the full details of your move
Please provide all original supporting documents when you make a claim for benefit, the form tells you what you need to provide. Please don't send photocopies as we cannot accept them
If you suspect someone may be fraudulently claiming benefit, or claiming a discount or reduction they are not entitled to, please tell us
Please be polite when telephoning or writing to us, even if you think we have done something wrong
Please have your bill or rent card with you when you use the telephone payment facility