Who can appeal?
Anyone who has had their application/enquiry for grant aid assessed and refused.
What are the stages in the appeals process?
Please complete Form A (downloadable from this web page), and return it to us within 21 days from the date of the covering letter.
When this form is received it will be acknowledged within 14 working days and another officer will consider your case and undertake a second assessment.
This may involve a visit to your property. You will be notified of the outcome of the second assessment within eight weeks of the receipt of Form A. There will be no further appeal possible against the second assessment.
Special Cases:
If you are appealing because you think you should be treated as a special case, then you will need to complete Form B (downloadable from this web page) and return it to this Directorate within 21 days. You will be informed within 14 working days whether your case meets the Special Cases Appeals Criteria, and will subsequently be considered by the Appeal Panel.
Both Form A and Form B can be downloaded from this web page below.
What are the powers and duties of the appeals panels?
(i) To hear and consider evidence from applicants where they have argued that based on the criteria the circumstances are such, that they should be treated as a higher priority than previously assessed.
(ii) Where the Panel is satisfied that the criteria has been met, to decide on an appropriate course of action in order to alleviate the hardship demonstrated.
How is my case assessed?
You will be required to submit written evidence (Appeal Form) explaining why you should be considered as a Special Case.
On receipt, your Appeal Form will be examined to see if your circumstances meet the criteria.
What are the criteria for appeals?
Applicants must be able to demonstrate that:
- Failure to carry out works may place the applicant and/or the family’s health and safety at immediate risk (and/or):
- The applicant or a member of his/her family has a specific and serious medical condition that would be worsened by the condition of the property, (and/or):
- The condition of the property poses a threat to the intervention of other statutory services, thereby causing additional expenditure from other Council budgets (e.g. statutory re-housing, children being taken into care under the Children Act 1989), (and/or):
- The work would be of wider benefit than to the applicant and his/her family (e.g. in terms of assisting area completion or where other properties are affected).
And in all the Above Cases
- The applicant has no means by which he or she could reasonably be expected to fund the work either privately or with Department of Social Security assistance.
An applicant can only be successful at the Appeal Panel stage where he/she has established to the satisfaction of the panel, that the above criteria have been made AND that the circumstances are so severe and to such a degree that the cases should be considered as a higher priority than other cases assessed as a high priority under the normal policy and procedures.
What happens following assessment?
If your case does not meet the criteria, you will be informed in writing within 14 working days.
If your case meets the criteria, a report based on the information you submitted on the Appeal Form will be prepared for the Appeal Panel.
When will my appeal be heard?
The Officer Panel will meet and decide your case within 8 weeks of receipt of your written appeal.
Will I be invited to attend when my appeal is heard?
Once the report has been prepared, you will be sent a copy of the report and invited to attend when the Officer Panel hear your Appeal. You will also have the opportunity for you or your representative to present your case to the panel if you wish.
How will I be informed of the decision?
You will be informed in writing of the Panel’s decision within ten working days of the meeting.
