Example
C asked for an independent review of the council's decision. They had applied for crisis grant as they had spent their benefits on payments of rent and removal costs.
The council declined the initial application on the basis that C had applied within 28 days of receiving a previous award from the fund. C requested a first tier review of the decision but the council did not change their decision.
We reviewed the council's case file and spoke with C for further information about their circumstances. C had explained that they had received a payment of benefits since they had received their award which meant they had entered a new period of crisis and as such the council should have considered the application. We asked C for evidence of this via their bank statement. C’s bank statement was unclear on the balance of money available due to the way C’s bank statement listed their transactions. C provided further evidence from their bank which confirmed that they had no access to funds on the day they applied for the grant. As such we changed the council’s decision and awarded C. We provided feedback to the council about guidance not being followed and written communications.