Brent Council apologises and blames miscalculation for cancelling post-op carers for woman on Universal Credit
A letter Violet Kerr was sent recognising that she should pay nothing for carers but only after shed been sent one two weeks earlier saying she should pay £45.40 a week. - Credit: Archant
Brent Council has apologised for cancelling post-op carers for a Dollis Hill woman on Universal Credit – saying officers thought her allowance was weekly not monthly.
Violet Kerr, 58, was left to foot the £45.40 weekly bill herself following undergoing ankle surgery, despite only living off £70 a month after outgoings. The council had agreed to pay for her care, but backtracked and told her she was on her own.
Violet had to cope without carers for weeks, ending up in A&E with an infection, before a complaint to Brent Council finally saw healthcare workers reinstated.
A council spokesperson said: "We are very sorry about the inconvenience Violet Kerr has faced.
"Due to the way information is shown on the DWP database, we believed Violet's Universal Credit was paid weekly, not monthly, so our calculations for Violet's contribution reflected this.
You may also want to watch:
"When we send notification letters to customers, we always ask them to contact us straight away if they believe any of the information is incorrect.
"As soon as we were made aware of our mistake we updated Violet's contribution amount."
Most Read
- 1 Brent investigating implications of traffic measures court ruling
- 2 'No light at the end of the tunnel' says Northwick Park surgeon on operation backlogs
- 3 Neasden man charged with murder and knife attacks
- 4 Appeal after woman hit on the head and sexually assaulted in Sudbury
- 5 Mass vaccination centre opens in Wembley Park
- 6 Brent residents face £100 council tax hike for Band D property
- 7 Wembley drug dealer jailed for biting, scratching and pushing police
- 8 Fundraiser launched after beloved mum found collapsed in Barham Park dies
- 9 Two arrested in connection with fatal Neasden stabbing
- 10 Man arrested in connection with Neasden murder and two stabbings
