North Lanarkshire Council

North Lanarkshire Council Welfare rights services

Assisting people with benefit matters

Due to the demand for advice, information and representation on all aspects of the benefit system, we have a number of welfare rights staff who provide a wide range of services to North Lanarkshire residents. These services include:

  • general benefits advice;

  • advice and representation for appeals;

  • redundancy advice;

  • help with housing benefit;

  • help with council tax problems;

  • training; and

  • talks and briefings.

We offer an advice and representation service in the above categories and others, through the social work locality teams.

Our welfare rights service is free to individuals.

Whether the service you require is advice or information, or if it is representation or advocacy, we will try to meet your requirements.

In order to provide you with the best service possible, it is important that you give us as much notice as possible. For an appeal, you should contact social work as soon as you are able to do so.

Advice may also be sought from the North Lanarkshire Information and Advice Forum (NLIAF) see the link on the right hand side of this page for contact details.

What should you do?

Individuals

If you are an individual who needs assistance, you should contact your local social work locality office in the first instance. See the links on the right hand side of this page for contact details.

You will normally be seen by a front line member of our social work team, who should be able to deal with straightforward benefit enquiries.

If your enquiry is more complex, or in relation to an appeal, it may be sent on to a member of our Welfare Rights Team.

Organisations

If you are calling on behalf of an organisation or corporate body, you should contact the co-ordinator, financial inclusion team who will then be able to advise you on what they can make available to help you. This could be immediate verbal advice and information, organising an information briefing, training, advocacy or representation. If we cannot offer assistance in a particular situation, we will try to direct you to an appropriate body who can assist.

The co-ordinator, financial inclusion is based at: 73-77 Merry Street, Motherwell, Lanarkshire ML1 1JE Tel: 01698 332552.

How can we help you with representation?

Representation

We can offer advice, representation and advocacy in a number of specialised fields, including:

  • disability benefits

  • tax credits

  • incapacity benefit/employment support allowance/Universal Credit

  • income support

  • jobseekers’ allowance

  • carers’ allowance

  • child benefit and

  • industrial injuries.

We can also give specialised advice and information in relation to redundancy and other industrial matters.

Contact us

Visit the Welfare Rights pages on the North Lanarkshire Council website 

Confirmed 17/5/2016