Example
C applied for money for food and utilities because their Universal Credit had been sanctioned for the last two months.
The council declined the application on the basis that this was an ongoing situation that the fund could not assist with.
We reviewed the council's file and spoke with C. We noted that C had only had two previous Crisis Grant awards from the fund in the last 12 months. We also assessed that while the Universal Credit sanction was ongoing, this was not a valid reason to decline C’s application. We were satisfied that the application met the eligibility, qualifying and priority levels for an award.
Recommendations
- We instructed the council to make an award of £150 to cover food and utilities until C’s next Universal Credit payment date, based on what C requested.
Feedback for the council
- That the council did not follow the guidance during the decision-making process.
- That the council failed to detail the 28-day assessment in the decision letter
- That the first tier review was not issued in the timescales set out in the guidance
We have asked the council to provide us with confirmation that the award was made within one working day.