Overpayment of Housing Benefit
Received: 6 May 2026
I am disappointed in the decision. I will escalate this matter to the Ombudsman.I formally make an FOI request for the cost to the council so far in handling this matter, as I suspect it will be a significant amount, if not more than the debt. I then intend to publish this figure to show the Council mishandling taxpayers' money to pursue a debt of such a small amount. Alternatively, you could forgive the amount owed.Please provide:1. The total staff time (in hours) spent on this case, including any processing, correspondence, and appeals handling, and the associated payroll cost.2. The total cost of correspondence issued in relation to this case, including postage and printing.3. Any other costs incurred in pursuing this debt ' for example, legal, administrative, or appeals processing costs.4. The council's standard cost per appeal stage processed, if this data is held.If any of the above information is not held at an individual case level, please provide the average or unit cost data you do hold that would allow an estimate to be made.
Outcome / Documents
- Response (not held) - application/pdf - Download