Example
C requested an independent review of the council's decision on their crisis grant application. C applied for a crisis grant after spending around half of their income repaying money owed to family and friends, and the rest on routine expenses.
The council declined the application under the 'ongoing expense' exclusion at Annex A of the guidance.
We reviewed the council's file and corresponded with C. We disagreed with the council's decision as there was no clear 'ongoing expense' that could be identified from the recent applications. We instructed the council to make a 23-day award. We provided the council with feedback on their letters, record-keeping and on carrying out 28-day assessments where relevant.