Example
Mr C applied for a crisis grant as he had repaid gambling debts. He had no money for food, gas and electricity, and would not receive any money for a further fortnight when his next wage would be paid.
The council declined Mr C’s application on the basis that his wages are £1600.00 per month and they did not consider this to be a low income. They upheld their decision at first tier.
Mr C requested an independent review of the council's decision on his crisis grant. We received the council’s file, and agreed that Mr C's monthly income of £1600.00 per month was not comparable to someone on income related benefits. We also confirmed that Mr C did not have any exceptional outgoings as his outgoings were spent on repaying debt, rent, child maintenance payments and normal bills. We confirmed that he was not in receipt of any other benefits such as housing benefits or tax credits, and given his wage, we did not consider that there was evidence to suggest he had an underlying entitlement to these. As a result, we were satisfied that the council had correctly identified that Mr C was not in receipt of a low income (7.13 to 7.18 of SWF guidance) and did not uphold his review request.