Example
C applied for money for food as they had spent their income on bills and debts.
The council made an award to C using the rate the guidance suggests for non-householders (£5.71 per day). C was unhappy with this award as they felt they should have been given the higher rate because they are sofa surfing.
We reviewed the council's file and spoke with C. C confirmed that they were living between different locations where access to facilities including cookers and fridges varied. On that basis we were satisfied that C should have been awarded at the householder rate.
Recommendations
- We instructed the council to make an additional award of £123.02 to cover food until C’s next Universal Credit payment date, based on the recommended daily rate in the guidance (£9.43 per day).
Feedback for the council
- The guidance was not followed when calculating the award amount.
- The council miscalculated the number of days of the crisis.
We have asked the council to provide us with confirmation that the award was made within one working day.