What happens if I do not agree with your
decision?
If you think our decision is wrong you have the right to:
You have one calendar month to let us know that you disagree
with the decision. If you contact us later than one calendar month
of the date of the decision letter you must tell us why it's late
- in writing. Late appeals can only be accepted in special
circumstances and cannot be accepted 12 months or more after
the date of our decision letter.
If you want us to explain our decision you can get in touch
with us by phone, in writing or calling into your local Customer
Service Centre. We'll explain how we made the decision and what
information was used - if we explain it in writing this is called a
'written statement of reasons'.
If you've contacted us and are not happy with the
explanation, you can ask us to look at the decision again. You
must let us know 'in writing' within one calendar month of the date
of the decision letter. If we do not change our decision and
it is appropriate, we'll refer your case to the Appeals Service,
who are independent of the council.
If, after we've explained our decision, you still think it is
wrong, you can appeal to an independent tribunal. If you wish
to appeal you can:
If you need help in appealing you can contact:
The time limit for appeals is one calendar month from the date
of the decision letter, or one calendar month from the date of the
letter telling you that the decision cannot be changed.
What happens after I've appealed?
Your case will be referred to an Appeal Tribunal. You can choose
between an oral hearing or a paper hearing.
The tribunal members:
- Are experts who will decide your case on the issues
involved in your appeal. The members are independent of the
council.
- Can only look at the evidence, the law and the circumstances at
the time we made the decision you are appealing against;
and
- Cannot look at changes of circumstances that happened after we
made the decision.
How will I know what decision was made by the Appeal
Tribunal?
You'll be given a decision notice explaining the tribunal’s
decision as soon as possible after the appeal hearing.
If your appeal is successful, we'll usually put the decision
right as soon as we receive a copy of the tribunal’s decision
unless we decide to challenge the decision. We'll let you know
what we intend to do.
If you do not agree with the Appeals Tribunal’s decision the
information with the decision notice will advice you what to do
next.