London Borough of Southwark (25 007 733)
Category : Benefits and tax > Local welfare payments
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 27 Oct 2025
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about welfare payments because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.
The complaint
- Ms X complains that the Council’s welfare payments scheme does not provide for paper applications
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We do not start or continue an investigation if we decide:
- there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating, or
- any fault has not caused injustice to the person who complained, or
- any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement.
(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Ms X says that she the Council’s hardship scheme does not provide for paper submissions.
- Ms X made an application for welfare assistance which was refused by the Council. The Council then provided an Energy Support Payment based upon her circumstances. The Council says that it provided a telephone number to assist her with her application. The Council also provided her and her MP with details of the assistance program.
- Government guidance allows councils to choose (discretion) when to offer a welfare payment; there is no statutory right to payment. Whilst I appreciate that Ms X would have preferred the scheme to be based upon paper documents, I am not satisfied that the Council made such an application unreasonable. Ms X was provided with a telephone contact and, indeed was able to make the application to the Council. In the absence of fault the Ombudsman would not question the merits of the Council’s decision.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman