Example
C, a welfare rights officer, applied for money for food and living costs on behalf of their client (A) who had an issue with their benefits.
The council awarded the applicant an amount of £210 which was half the amount requested. They said that C had requested a 28-day award, noting that the benefits issue would take time to resolve, but stated the maximum they could award was for 14 days duration. C appealed the amount and the council increased the award to £301.56 which is the amount suggested by the guidance for a 14-day award.
We reviewed the council's file and spoke with C. We noted that the guidance suggests a two week award for gaps in income of an unknown duration but it also allows discretion to extend awards for longer. In this case, there was evidence that the Universal Credit issue could take up to 12 weeks to resolve. We also noted that A had a newborn baby and there was a risk of them re-entering crisis. We changed the council's decision based on this and made a further award to A to cover a 28-day period.
Recommendations
- Award a further £301.56 to cover A and their child's living costs for 28 days.
Feedback for the council
- They did not take into account A's circumstances and ensure the award made met their needs in line with section 7.7 of the guidance.
- They do not appear to have considered the child's rights or best interests when deciding how long to award.
We have asked the council to provide us with confirmation that the award was made within one working day.