36 Wellington Street, Woolwich, SE18 6PE
020 8853 9993
Empowering the local community
Telephone Advice Line
(0208 853 9993)
Tuesdays: 10.00-13.00 - Welfare Benefits Advice
Wednesdays: 10.00-12.00 - Employment Advice
Please Note: Our Immigration Advice Line is now temporarily closed until further notice. If you requir e immigration advice, please attend an Advice Hub Outreach session, you can find further information here:
https://www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/info/200246/benefits_advice/420/welfare_rights_service/2
Welfare Rights
Our team of experienced Welfare Benefits specialists at Plumstead Community Law Centre provide legal advice and effective advocacy for all welfare benefit appeal matters.
How we can help you
Our team can assist clients who are challenging benefit decisions by assessing the appeal documents, collating supporting evidence, legal research and preparing a case to be heard at the Tribunal Service (First-Tier Tribunal). Our team have also successfully challenged Tribunal decisions by way of a set aside or permission to appeal to the Upper Tribunal. This may also involve preparing a case to be heard at the Upper Tribunal.
The majority of our Welfare Benefits appeal work consists of disability benefits such as Personal Independence Payment and Employment & Support Allowance. Unfortunately, when these clients were assessed by DWP to determine their entitlement to these disability benefits the effects of their health problems were underestimated and they failed to obtain sufficient points.
The Welfare Benefits Team help those with either or both mental or physical health problems.
If you have received a decision alleging that you have been overpaid benefits or tax credits you may be able to challenge it if the overpayment occurred as a result of an error made by DWP, the local authority or HMRC or in certain circumstances where you have disclosed a change in your circumstances.
Our Welfare Benefits Team have successfully challenged overpayment decisions and as a result the overpayments were no longer recoverable.
Our Welfare Benefit Team also assist with cases dealing with the right to reside and the habitual residence test. It is a complex area of Welfare Benefit law that requires legal knowledge and expertise.
Welfare Rights Telephone Advice is available every Tuesday from 10am until 1pm on 020 8853 9993
Areas covered
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Universal Credit
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Employment & Support Allowance
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Personal Independence Payment
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Child Disability Living Allowance
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Attendance Allowance
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Jobseekers Allowance
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Benefit Overpayment
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Tax Credits
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Housing Benefit
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Council Tax Support/Reduction
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Pension Credit
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Child Benefit
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Right to Reside
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Habitual Residence
Other online advice
GOV.UK >
More on benefits from the UK government
Disability Rights UK >
Resource for disability-related laws and rights in the UK
Department of Work & Pensions >
The UK government's site for work/pensions
Resource for child benefits and children
Rightsnet >
Social welfare employment law and caseworker support
Citizens Advice >
Volunteer services for advice on law, rights, and more
Feedback from clients
"I would like to thank you for your excellent advice and suggestions which really helped me feel more confident during this process"
"Thank you so, so much for your advice and support, which I have found invaluable"