Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about discretionary grants. This is because there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating.

The complaint

1. Miss X complains the Council did not properly assess her Community Care Grant application.
2. She says her individual circumstances were not taken into account when assessing if she met certain exceptional circumstance criteria.
3. She says as a result she experienced stress and had to self-fund essential items.
4. She would like to receive the funding and compensation for the stress and inconvenience caused. She would also like the Council to review its processes to prevent this from happening to others in future.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

5. 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.

(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

6. We consider whether there was fault in the way an organisation made its decision. If there was no fault in how the organisation made its decision, we cannot question the outcome. (Local Government Act 1974, section 34(3), as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

7. I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
8. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

9. The Council said it had considered Miss X’s full circumstances, but it did not consider them exceptional within the terms of the scheme. This was a decision the Council was entitled to make. I consider the Council properly considered her application and explained its reasons for refusing the grant. There is not enough evidence of fault to justify our involvement.

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Final decision

10. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman