Our role in the benefits system

Most benefits are managed and distributed by the government. But Housing benefit and Council Tax reduction schemes are managed by local councils. This means that we are responsible for recording and maintaining records of who needs it and how much they get.

In order to provide Housing benefit and Council Tax reduction schemes, the government gives all councils subsidies or grants to help pay them. You can find out more about what money we get from the government from the page: What do we get from central government?

Housing benefit and Council Tax reduction are means tested. This means that your financial position is checked and based upon how much money you have coming in, your allocation of benefits or your reduction in Council Tax, is decided. As we administrate these benefits, we are responsible for carrying out the means testing.

We use the Anglia Revenues Partnership to manage the administration of Housing benefit and Council Tax reduction for West Suffolk. You can find an explanation about what the Anglia Revenues Partnership is from our page: What is Anglia Revenues Partnership?