Find out the latest information affecting your entitlement to benefits.
Processing times 2011 - 2012
The table below shows the average number of days taken to process new claims and changes.
Average Days Taken To Process New Claims & Changes
| | Target to process new claims (26 days) | Target to process changes (12 days) | Number of Fast Track claims processed |
|
April 2011
|
27
|
19
|
617
|
|
May 2011
|
28
|
21
|
728
|
|
Jun 2011
|
24
|
21
|
539
|
|
Jul 2011
|
23.93
|
13.53
|
684
|
|
Aug 2011
|
20.25
|
9.41
|
841
|
|
Sept 2011
|
22.38
|
12.69
|
962
|
|
Oct 2011
|
22.53
|
14.49
|
947
|
|
Nov 2011
|
26.30
|
13.32
|
979
|
|
Dec 2011
|
22.58
|
12.97
|
699
|
|
Jan 2012
|
22.75
|
8.52
|
941
|
|
Feb 2012
|
20.16
|
7.71
|
1005
|
|
Mar 2012
|
20.52
|
4.23
|
1199
|
Last updated 18th April 2012
Local Housing Allowance Team - Mobile Advice Centre comes to town.
On Monday 2nd April, the Local Housing Allowance Team will be in Stockport Town Centre on Warren Street (outside Laura Ashley) from 09.00 a.m. to 15.00 p.m.
If you rent from a private landlord and are concerned that your Housing Benefit has gone down or may reduce in the future due to the new regulations, visit the Benefit Bus, call 0845 120 2093 or visit www.helpwithrent.org.uk
Last updated 21st March 2012
Important Note - System closedown
Due to the closedown of the Benefits System at 12.00 midday on the 7th March to undertake Benefit uprating processes for the financial year 1st April 2012 to 31st March 2013, there will be no fast-track claims service available.
Normal service will be resumed from Monday, 12th March 2011. However, because of the backlog of on-line claims received over this period, for the next 2 weeks, we cannot guarantee that claims which would normally be fast tracked will be processed within 48 hours.
The Benefits Team apologise for this disruption to the fast-track service
Last updated 5th March 2012
Local Housing Allowance Rates frozen from April 2012
The Department for Work and Pensions has confirmed that from April 2012 Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates will be frozen for one year.
This means that:
- Anyone making a new claim for Housing Benefit for privately rented accommodation, or
- Anyone already getting Housing Benefit who changes address and moves into privately rented accommodation or,
- Claimants in privately rented accommodation who have a break in their claim and reapply for Housing Benefit
at any time from April 2012 to March 2013 will have their Housing Benefit rate based on the LHA figures set in April 2012.
This is to enable them to set a baseline for a full 12 months before the LHA rates will be uprated annually, starting in April 2013, in line with Consumer Price Index (CPI) Inflation as at the previus September.
Last updated 27th February 2012
Local Housing Allowance Team - Mobile Advice Centre comes to town
On Tuesday 14th February, the Local Housing Allowance Team will be in Stockport Town Centre on Warren Street (outside Laura Ashley) from 09.00 a.m. to 15.00 p.m. If you rent from a private landlord and are concerned that your Housing Benefit has gone down or may reduce in the future due to the new regulations, visit the Benefit Bus or call 0845 120 2093.
Last updated 13th February 2012
From Tuesday 10th January, there’s a new way to apply for a Leisure Key in Stockport
The Leisure Key scheme allows Stockport residents to get discounts on leisure and cultural activities such as swimming and other sports and theatre.
Existing outlets providing Leisure Key cards which come under Life Leisure (formerly Stockport Sports Trust) cannot administer the new scheme due to data restrictions and access issues. The sites most affected by the change are the Lapwing Centre and Grand Central Pools as they currently have Leisure Key cards on site to hand out. However, there are alternative outlets very close to these venues at First House in Brinnington, and the Central Library and Fred Perry House
More information about eligibility can be found on the Council website www.stockport.gov.uk/benefits
To facilitate the move to the new system, there will be no Leisure Key system available on 9th January.
Last updated 9th January 2012
Latest changes affecting single people aged between 25 and 34 years
Changes that will affect the entitlement to Local Housing Allowance for single claimants, who live alone, who are aged under 35 came into effect on 1st January 2012..
Exemptions from this are:
- People who qualify for a Severe Disability Premium.
- Ex -offenders over 25 who are subject to active multi-agency management under the Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA).
- People who have spent three months or more in a homeless hostel, or more than one hostel, specialising in rehabilitating and resettling this group within the community.
From 1st January 2012 single claimants who are aged under 35 and not exempt will only be entitled to have their Housing Benefit (HB) assessed based on a shared room level of the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) or the Single Room Rent if subject to a rent referral.
We will be writing to all those affected to advise that they should be making plans now about how they will manage this change including meeting with their landlord to discuss the options
Last updated 5th January 2012
New, Improved Benefits Calculator!
Do you think you may be entitled to Housing Benefit (help with paying your rent) or Council Tax Benefit (help with paying your Council Tax)?
If so, why not complete our new and improved Housing and Council Tax Benefit calculator? The calculator will provide you with an estimate of how much benefit you could receive.
If you then continue and make an on-line claim for these benefits, a lot of the data you put into the calculator will then be automatically copied into the on-line form reducing the need to re input the information and so saving you time.
Last updated 14th December 2011