Example
C applied for a community care grant to replace household item affected by mould and a burst pipe in their property.
The council said that C’s circumstances did not match the qualifying criteria for a grant and declined the application.
We reviewed the council's file and spoke with C. C sent us photo evidence of mould in the property and told us an independent assessment had been carried out recommending replacement of plaster and rendering. They also informed us of ongoing heating issues and changes to their medication due to breathing difficulties, which led to x-rays and a referral for COPD assessment.
C’s housing officer told us that they were aware of C’s difficult living conditions. We assessed that C was facing exceptional pressure and therefore qualified for a grant. We changed the council’s decision and awarded the items that met high priority.
Recommendations
- We instructed the council to award a cooker, flooring for three bedrooms and a bed as these items met high priority.
Feedback for the council
- The council did not make sufficient follow-up enquiries based on the information provided on the application about the applicant’s circumstances.
- The decision letters were insufficiently personalised to the applicant.
We asked the council to provide us with confirmation that the award was made within one week.