The social welfare services (CPAS) of Anderlecht has granted financial support for energy bills without clear reasons or thorough investigation, according to a new report by Flemish public media, VRT NWs.
This has emerged from hundreds of files reviewed by Pano’s editorial team on Thursday. More than 5,000 people are involved.
Among the recipients of energy support are a person living abroad, four homeless individuals, and a deceased woman, according to Pano.
The documents show that the CPAS assisted 1,621 beneficiaries with their energy bills between January and April. From July to November, an additional 3,447 people received help. The amounts ranged from €70 euros for individuals to €160 for families.
The content of the files is identical, with only the names, amounts, and energy suppliers changed. The dates on the files are also earlier than their actual creation dates. An anonymous CPAS employee claimed that these subsidies had to be used up at all costs to ensure similar funding the following year.
This is the second round of accusations which have been made against practices CPAS of Anderlecht recently faced criticism. A Pano report last month revealed that the CPAS had wrongly granted two retroactive social benefits to undercover members of the investigative programme, neither of whom lived in Anderlecht.
Eight social workers testified about the "chaos" within the CPAS, saying they cannot perform their duties properly due to high workloads.
Earlier this week, CPAS staff announced the union front calls for urgent investment from the Brussels-Capital Region in the CPAS of Anderlecht to address the issues. "We must seize this fiasco to strengthen the position of the staff so they can finally do their jobs properly."
The majority of CPAS staff in Anderlecht are overwhelmed by high workloads, the unions emphasised. "They are no longer able to perform basic tasks, let alone thoroughly vet all applications."
