Example
Mr C requested an independent review of the council's decision on his crisis grant. He applied for a crisis grant as he stated that he had spent his Universal Credit (UC) payment on topping up his rent, rent arrears, travelling to court and bills.
The council declined Mr C’s application on the basis that he had already received five awards in the last 12-month rolling period, one in their council area and four from another council. They stated that there were no exceptional circumstances that would allow for them to make an exceptional sixth award. They upheld their original decision following the applicant’s first tier review request.
Mr C asked for an independent review of the application. We considered the facts and circumstances of the case, including that he had already received five awards in the previous 12-month rolling period across two council areas. We agreed with the council's assessment that Mr C's current circumstances were not exceptional (covered in section 7.23 of the guidance), as the majority of his personal allowance payment had been spent on topping up his housing allowance payment and repaying rent arrears. These expenditures were not exceptional compared to previous awards and as a result, we did not uphold his review request.