The majority of the 43,000 eligible residents in Bath and North East Somerset who pay their council tax by direct debit have now received the Government’s £150 energy rebate, with the remainder set to be paid over the next two weeks.
Bath
& North East Somerset Council is urging anyone not already on direct debit
payments to sign up so that they can receive the money as soon as possible.
Anyone
who does not have a direct debit will be contacted by the council by the end of
June to invite them to make a claim.
There
have been a number of cases where it has not been possible to make payments to
existing direct debit payers, for example when bill and bank account names do
not match or the bank has rejected the payment. The council is working to
resolve this and will contact affected residents directly if
needed.
The
government announced earlier
this year that residents living in properties in Council Tax bands A to D
will receive a £150 energy rebate as a one-off payment to help with rises in
fuel bills. The money does not have to be repaid.
Families
who do not qualify for the £150 energy rebate, for example those living in
bands E and above, may qualify for a discretionary payment if they are on a low
income or receive certain benefits. All awards will be for £150.
Residents
will be eligible for the discretionary fund if they meet the following
criteria:
- They are not entitled to the main energy rebate scheme
as they are not liable for council tax or their home is in council tax
band E or above
- They are directly liable for energy costs i.e. their
name is on the electricity or gas bill
- They receive an income-based benefit including
Universal Credit or Working Tax Credit OR have combined household earnings
and pensions below £500 per week.
Further
details, including the form to apply for the payments will be available on the
council’s energy
rebate web page when the scheme is open for applications.
Councillor
Richard Samuel, Deputy Leader and cabinet member for Economic Development and
Resources, said: “Since the government announced the energy rebate we have
worked to get the payments to residents in need as soon as possible. It’s been
a huge task because adjustments were needed to the software and systems we use,
but I’m pleased we have been able to get the money to the majority of
households and this will total just under £9.6m when all the payments have been
made.
“It’s
really important that anyone who isn’t on direct debit signs up now so that we
can speed up getting your payment to you. If you aren’t able to arrange a
direct debit, we will contact you in the coming weeks with details of how you
can apply for the rebate.”
Further
updates will be added to the energy rebate webpage.
The
website includes a link to check households' Council
Tax bands for anyone unsure which band their property is in.
The
council is also highlighting support that some families might not be aware of
and is encouraging people who are struggling to pay their bills to seek help
and advice before financial problems become a real crisis.
More
information is available online about free
school meals vouchers, the Welfare
Support Scheme , Housing
Benefit, Council
Tax Support , Discretionary
Housing Payment, Welcome
Cafes and Food Clubs, the
BANES Food Finder, the
Community Wellbeing Hub,
Citizens
Advice Bath and North East Somerset.
Residents can also email welfare_support@bathnes.gov.uk or call 01225 477277. Monday to Thursday 9am to 4.30pm and Friday 9am to 4pm
