Exceptional Hardship Payments - Council Tax

I have a client who is in arrears with council tax. I have assisted the client to get council tax reduction and disability reduction . However the local authority turned down the application on the grounds the client didn’t meet the criteria .  My question is: Is there any national guidance regards criteria for an exceptional hardship payment.

What is the appeal procedure for this ? Is it the same as other DWP benefits or is it done through the complaints procedure?

We were discussing this earlier in the month in this thread: https://www.rightsnet.org.uk/forums/viewthread/13875/

The key points are that a council has a discretion to make these reductions whenever it likes and on whatever basis it thinks appropriate - there’s no national guidance but if it has a policy, it should follow it. If unhappy with a decision made on the scheme, then you can appeal to the Valuation Tribunal who will exercise the discretion for itself giving weight to factors which are listed in the above thread.