Festive closure 

Our office will be closed for the festive period from 25 December 2025 and will reopen on Monday 5 January 2026. 

We will be open on 29, 30 and 31 December between 10am – 12pm and 2pm – 4pm. During these times, we will be focusing on handling reviews of crisis grants received due to the urgency of these applications. If you wish to request a review of a community care grant application you can do so online. Alternatively, you can call us on 5 January 2026 and we can take your application over the phone.

Our normal service resumes on 5 January 2026 at 10am. 

Case study

  • Date:
    October 2022
  • Category:
    Self-Isolation Support Grant

Example

C requested an independent review of the council's decision on their Self-Isolation Support Grant application. They had applied for a grant due to testing positive for COVID-19 and because they were unable to work from home.

The council declined the application on the basis that C applied outwith the 28-day application window. They did not change their decision following C’s first tier review request.

We reviewed the council's file and spoke with C for further information. We noted that C had originally applied to the wrong council and that they had been delayed in issuing their decision which caused delays directing C to the correct council. We considered this was not C's fault. However, C took a further 24 days to submit their application to the correct council. We did not consider the reason for this delay was exceptional, and agreed with the council that no award should be made.

Updated: October 8, 2025