The city council's benefits office is committed to providing a quality service to both customers and landlords.
If you are on a low income or social benefits then you may be able to obtain help toward payment of the rent or council tax for your home.
The rules regarding the administration of housing and council tax benefit are held in regulations set by parliament.
The rules surrounding benefits are quite complicated so it is always advisable to contact us if you are in doubt over any aspect of your application or the benefits service in general.
Take a look at the information contained on the website pages, which we hope will provide you with the answers you may be looking for. If not then please do not hesitate to get in contact with our advisors at the Contact Centre. Our opening times are -
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 8.00am - 6.00pm
Thursday 10.30am - 6.00pm
If you would like to make a claim for housing or council tax benefit you can download an application form below.
You can also find helpful leaflets on a variety of areas within the benefits scheme by clicking on the advise leaflets heading on the left hand side of this page.
Local Housing Allowance rates
Below are the current local housing allowance rates for March 2010. For a list of past months please click on the link on the right hand side of this page.
Rates for March 2010
| Shared room rate |
£48.00 per week |
| 1 bedroom |
£92.05 per week |
| 2 bedrooms |
£115.07 per week |
| 3 bedrooms |
£132.33 per week |
| 4 bedrooms |
£172.60 per week |
| 5 bedrooms |
£197.92 per week |
Document links
| Document downloads | File Size |
| Adobe Acrobat Reader is available FREE of charge. You can download it directly from Adobe's website by clicking the link to the right. Once on Adobe's website, follow the instructions on screen to install the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader. |  |
| Benefit application form (PDF) | 561KB |