I remember that well cos was in the same position as you when I was 17/18.
In all honesty, knowing what I know now, I think the assessment was probably wrong, because they often are - even then, job centre staff were undertrained and overworked. However, I, like you, had no idea how to go any further with that, or even to know enough to question the decision. One very stupid assumption often made is that if a person doesn't qualify for an income-related benefit, they won't bother with a housing benefit calculation.
However, it's definitely the case that, since then, it has become easier to claim benefits separately, as it were, and to claim small amounts of benefits while not qualifying for larger ones. Hence the move to things like tax credits.
I'm not even going to start here on my concerns about the way these allow employers to get away with paying poor wages, however, because I can really go on about that kind of thing...
no subject
In all honesty, knowing what I know now, I think the assessment was probably wrong, because they often are - even then, job centre staff were undertrained and overworked. However, I, like you, had no idea how to go any further with that, or even to know enough to question the decision. One very stupid assumption often made is that if a person doesn't qualify for an income-related benefit, they won't bother with a housing benefit calculation.
However, it's definitely the case that, since then, it has become easier to claim benefits separately, as it were, and to claim small amounts of benefits while not qualifying for larger ones. Hence the move to things like tax credits.
I'm not even going to start here on my concerns about the way these allow employers to get away with paying poor wages, however, because I can really go on about that kind of thing...