We will not be calling you to ask you for bank details. Do not provide your bank details to anyone claiming to be from us or one of our partner councils.
The Government announced £150 payment to help with rising energy costs.
On 3 February 2022, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced two schemes to help with rising energy bills:
- a one-off payment of £150 to households in Council Tax Bands A to D, who are not exempt from Council Tax
- a Discretionary Rebate scheme for those who need help with their energy bills but are not eligible for the one-off payment
Applications for both of these payments have now closed.
Local discretionary energy rebate scheme now closed
In addition to the Energy Rebate payment, the Government announced a local discretionary energy rebate scheme, which has now closed.
Households in receipt of either Council Tax Support or Reduction as at 1 April 2022, in a Council Tax Band A, B, C, D (including a property in band E disabled band reduction scheme), received an initial payment of £150, then an extra £40 was awarded, totalling £190 for those residents on a low income.
Households in receipt of either Council Tax Support or Reduction as at 1 April 2022, in a Council Tax Band E, F, G or H received a single payment of £190.
These payments were allocated to eligible Council Tax accounts.
Applications for the scheme closed on 31 August 2022.
£150 Rebate Application now closed
The council tax energy rebate payments for direct debit payers whose payment details matched their bank account, and who have made a successful council tax payment in May 2022, have now all been paid.
We wrote to all eligible non-direct debit households and direct debit payers where payment details did not match their bank account details at the beginning of May to invite a claim for the energy rebate payment by the 30 June 2022. The energy rebate payments for those who applied and passed the mandatory pre-payment checks have now all been paid.
The application process for the mandatory element of this scheme (properties in band A-D) is now closed. If an application hasn’t been received or we’re unable to make the payment to your bank account due to failing the validation checks, the £150 payment will be credited to your council tax account.
Any payments credited to your council tax account are allocated to your 2022 council tax balance. You will get a revised bill with a letter confirming the full details, which will be sent out as soon as the credit has been applied.
Claiming an energy refund
If your council tax goes into credit following this payment, you can apply for a refund.
There is no deadline to apply for a refund and they can take up to ten days to process.
I didn’t qualify for the £150. Can I still get help?
A local Discretionary Scheme offered households in receipt of either Council Tax Support or Reduction as at 1 April 2022, in a Council Tax Band E, F, G or H received a single payment of £190. Applications for the scheme closed on 31 August 2022.
If you're struggling to pay, you should contact us.
Fraud awareness
The Government has asked councils to undertake assurance processes to prevent incorrect payments and minimise the risk of fraud.
These steps will include either:
- deferring the rebate grant payment until after the first direct debit payment for council tax in 2022-23 has been taken
- asking tax payers to self-certify that they meet the eligibility criteria
The Government will not tolerate any council tax payer falsifying their records or providing false evidence to gain access to the Council Tax rebate grant or the Discretionary fund.
A council tax payer who provides false information or makes false representation in order to benefit may be guilty of fraud under the Fraud Act 2006.