Richard Holden, MP for North West Durham, has seen the successful outcome of a serious and ongoing case.
A constituent from North West Durham contacted Richard regarding universal credit payments. The constituent has a disabled child who requires full-time care and, as a result of this, the constituent receives high level disability benefits, part of which goes towards paying for a full-time carer. However, the constituent was told out of the blue that the universal credit rate she received for an extra bedroom for the overnight carer would be stopped, in a move that would have seen her lose more than £150 a month in financial assistance.
Richard’s office got in touch with the Department for Work and Pensions and flagged the case as extremely urgent. The case was serious enough to be handed to a Complaints Resolution Manager, who stated that, in this case, the correct procedure was not followed when considering the financial assistance. They clarified the position about financial assistance and awarded the constituent with a consolatory payment, which are only made in exceptional circumstances where an official error has had an adverse impact on the way of life of the customer.
Commenting, Richard said:
“I am really pleased we were able to help this constituent in what was a difficult and sensitive case. These are issues that have a major impact on people’s lives and decisions that are made when the correct procedure is not followed can have a disastrous outcome.
“My team works closely with the Department for Work and Pensions on a regular basis and this was an issue they were able to flag extremely quickly, given the urgency of the situation.
“I am really pleased that there was a good outcome here – if any of you have any issues or queries you’d like to discuss with my office, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.”
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