The Welfare Benefit Section is funded by Barrow borough Council and Communtiy Legal Service who has awarded us a specialist quality mark.

Clients are seen by appointment only.

The service is accessed in a number of ways, in person, by telephone, by letter or by referal.

In all cases the client needs to complete a questionnaire, the Supervisor checks these on a daily basis noting important dates and deadlines and prioritsing accordingly.

If the questionnaire indicates that the client needs a basic form completing or an appeal begun within a very short time the client is telephoned or sent a letter advising them to come in on a general day when a volunteer will assist.

The questionnaires are placed on the waiting list and the client is sent an appointment in the due course.

The service covers all welfare benefits and tax credits from calculations and first claims right up to Tribunal if this is required.

If a client has a decision from the Department for Work & Pensions, Tax Credit Office or CSL that they do not agree with they have a right of appeal.

An appeal must be made within one month of the date on the decision note.

We assist cleints with this and become their Representative.

Community Legal Services will not fund actual representation at Tribunal, however we can offer this as free service to clients as long as we are available on the date of their Tribunal,as this is funded by the Borough Council.

The main work for a Tribunal is done when all the paperwork is received ; we go through this paperwork and prepare a submission, which is a condensed version of the client's case.

Represenatation is essentially hand holding exercise unless a legal technicality comes up, as it often does something clients are often unable to cope with.

If a Tribunal does not go in a client's favour and they wish to apply for leave to appeal on a point of law it is always easier to identify the error if we have been present.