Council Tax Energy Rebate Scheme Policy

Council Tax Rebate (the Statutory Scheme)

The Council will provide a £150 one-off non-repayable rebate to households (chargeable dwellings) in England that are someone's sole or main residence and are valued in council tax bands A to D, known as Council Tax Rebate.

This part of the scheme is statutory and fully funded up to the value of £8.4m.

The statutory scheme includes property that is valued in band E but has an alternative band of D as a result of the disabled band reduction scheme and also includes those households (other than Houses in Multiple Occupation) not paying council tax due to their exemption under:

• Class N - Dwellings occupied only by Students
• Class S - Dwellings occupied only by under 18's.
• Class U - Dwellings occupied only by Severely mentally impaired
• Class W - "Granny Flats" occupied by a dependant relative

Unoccupied properties and those considered someone's second homes will not be eligible for support.

Eligibility for Council Tax Rebate under the statutory scheme will be determined on the position at the end of the day on 1 April 2022 and all payments need to have been made by 30 September 2022 to be considered in scope for reconciliation and funding purposes.

The Discretionary Energy Rebate Scheme

Preston has been allocated £349,200 from the Discretionary Fund to administer their discretionary scheme. Guidance confirms that the discretionary scheme can:

• support other energy bill payers who may not be eligible under the terms of the statutory scheme (i.e. bands E to H): or
• provide additional targeted "top-up" support to the most vulnerable households in band A to D that have received a Council Tax Energy Rebate.

Councils can determine locally how best to make use of the funding and given limited funds the Council has designed a targeted scheme to best serve those vulnerable groups likely to suffer most financial hardship as a result of the rising energy costs.

Council Tax Support Recipients (including pensioners)

The discretionary scheme targets those energy bill payers in receipt of Council Tax Support but residing in bands E to H that don't qualify for rebate under the statutory scheme. They will receive a discretionary energy rebate of £150.

At the same time, the scheme provides a top-up of up to £30 (in addition to the statutory £150 they receive) to households in receipt of maximum Council Tax Support and residing in band A to D.

Families residing in property band A to D, with children under 5, who qualify for some but not full Council Tax Support will also receive a top up of up to £30 in addition to the £150 Council Tax Rebate they receive.

Disabled Residents

Those properties occupied by a resident (or residents) considered to be "severely mentally impaired" in band A to D will receive a "top up" of up to £30 in addition to the £150 Council Tax Rebate.

For those similar households in band E to H a discretionary energy rebate of £150 will be paid.

Those households in receipt of Disabled Persons Allowance with specific disabled facilities to accommodate a disabled resident will receive similar benefit: a top up of up to £30 will be paid to those disabled households in band A to E (higher band due to the band reduction). For those qualifying households in band F to H (approx. 50 households) will receive a discretionary energy rebate of £150.

There will be duplication in some of the defined groups listed above with households qualifying in a number of groups. A discretionary energy rebate payment will therefore be restricted to one payment per household.

Residential homes and similar establishments will not be eligible for this discretionary rebate.

Eligibility for Discretionary Energy Rebate under the discretionary scheme will be determined on the position at the end of the day on 1 April 2022 and all payments need to have been made by 30 November 2022 to be considered in scope for reconciliation and funding purposes. There are no plans for the Government to provide any additional funding at this stage, and any remaining funds at that time must be repaid to them.

Consideration may be provided to applications from households experiencing exceptional circumstances in relation to rising energy costs who can prove they are liable for the heating bills, and don't qualify under the existing qualifying criteria.

Consideration in these cases, together with the maximum level of support (of up to a maximum £30) will be determined in relation to available funds.

Administration Arrangements

Payments under either scheme are restricted to one payment per household.

For the mandatory scheme, where the Council holds live direct debit instructions for a liable council taxpayer of an eligible household, we will make an automatic payment as early as possible in the 2022 - 2023 financial year, provided we are assured that the household meets the eligible criteria and the bank details have been verified.

The Council has established a range of payment options to enable support to be provided to eligible households in different circumstances. Where the Council doesn't hold live direct debit details, we will issue a single use voucher to be redeemed through the Post Office, with the option to post as a credit to the relevant council tax account as a last resort.

For the discretionary scheme, the Council will make payment by issuing a single use voucher to be redeemed through the Post Office for all qualifiers.

There is no specific appeal process in relation to this scheme and any disputes will be administered through the Council's Complaint procedure in the first instance. Additional steps may be introduced before payment, to prevent fraud, erroneous payment and the need for clawback.