Eligibility will vary depending on the type of grant and the difficulty with some grants , as I suspect with this, is that a number of different sections of the Council are involved ( always a joy) .
However the means test should be done first and that can be done provisionally on the phone quite simply . They should have some software packages ( normally FERRET ) that will collate all the necessary info and be able to advise almost immediately as to what the possible options are. They will then probably send a grants officer or case worker out to go through this but again a surveyor can visit at the same time thereby reducing the number of visits required. I guess it's all about their willingness to do this though and not stick to their broken record technique.
Good grief that actually sounds like a working plan. It may take some time to catch on up here.
