Example
C asked for an independent review of the council's decision. They had applied for a crisis grant after losing money during a seizure while out shopping.
The council made an award to C at initial decision stage. C requested a first tier review on the basis that the amount awarded did not meet their needs for gas and electricity. Following the first tier review the council did not change the amount awarded.
We reviewed the council's case file and spoke with C for further information about their circumstances. C confirmed what they spent on gas and electricity and provided evidence of what they were spending via their utility app. Based on this information, we assessed that the amount C had initially requested from the fund would have met their need but the amount the council chose to award was not enough. We changed the council's decision. We also provided feedback to the council that they had not followed the guidance and incorrectly interpreted information when calculating the award.