Decision details

To seek approval for the criteria for the discretionary element of the Council Tax Energy Rebate as set out in this report.

In order to make the administration of the discretionary scheme as simple as possible, it is recommended that we use existing data held by the Revenues and Benefits Service to identify households who we consider to be vulnerable but have not received a payment from the core scheme, and to make automatic payments to these households.

That the Director of Finance and Commercial Services:

Gives approval to set the following criteria for the discretionary element of the Council Tax Energy Rebate:

• Automatic payments of £150 to vulnerable (as detailed below) households in bands E to H;
• Automatic payments to households who receive Housing Benefit and aren’t liable for Council Tax;
• Payments to households who become liable for Council Tax in band A to D properties for the first time, after 1 April 2022;
• An application process to enable households who aren’t liable for Council Tax, but have energy costs;
• Any remaining funding be allocated to working age households who are in receipt of Council Tax Support and / or housing benefit; and
• A small amount of funding to be used to top up the awards made to the pensioner cohort of the Household Support Fund to allow the payments made to this group to be £100.

By agreeing the recommendations detailed above, the Council will be able to help households with the increase in energy bills.

The Council could choose to not accept this funding, but to do so at a time when households are experiencing significant increases in their energy costs, would not support the Council’s objective of tackling and preventing poverty.