£150 off Council Tax fuel assistance, and those that do not pay Council Tac

Mine, if you think of it in the following way, it may help.

People on Pension Credit/Pension Saving Credit and some with severe mental/physical disability do get a Council Tax bill. They are not exempt; they are supported to pay. Some will get a partial amount, some will get all of it.

They will get the £150 as all households charged Council Tax, that are in the eligible bands, are being given £150 by the government to help with heating.

Rebate of "Council" Tax is a misnomer as OD suggested. The only difficulty will be if they have not recently paid council tax by Direct Debit. The easiest way to supply details of how they want to be paid is to use the Council application form.

As others have said for those outside the band, who are struggling, there is a Discretionary Fund the council can draw on.

I may have made that worse but I find with a lot of benefits I have to work through the logic the government uses - and it isn't the same as mine

AGAA have you asked a few neighbours what they pay?

I hope my house is not reassessed in my lifetime because I would be in band F and not D. Even so it is over £2K a year.

Charleygirl5

Jane you are lucky- my council I think is broke which will not help. They have not said they will not pay until September- they are always very slow if eg they make a mistake. They are also being taken to court for corruption so they are otherwise engaged. It will arrive here sometime so for me it will be a pleasant surprise.

Yes we are lucky, our council was voted one of the best councils in England, despite having a very low council tax the services we receive are excellent, everywhere is kept free from rubbish and well cared for . There are bad apples in all political parties but it is wrong to tar everybody with the same brush. I’m sorry your council is so bad, perhaps things will change after the upcoming local elections.

OAKDRYAD....Haven't heard about this payment....I know we are getting a £200pds loan to help us pay our fuel bills this year...Thanks for explaining....

DaisyAnne

It could be more the madness of coucil tax per se, rather than this particular application. (But that is a much more in depth discussion )

Indeed.

There are people getting the rebate who have houses which were banded A-D in 1990 but are now worth £££, and others being denied it whose houses haven't increased much but were banded E-H 30 years ago.

I know I bang the means-testing drum to the point of tedium, but this is yet another example of how unfair it can be. Council tax is lowest in Westminster, where they pay £677 pa for a house in band D. In Rutland, living in a Band D house will cost you £2300 pa. Why choose this as a measure of who should get the rebate? People in some (seemingly random - I think the next-highest CT area after Rutland is Dorset) areas are already being hit by disproportionate bills that have absolutely no link to their earnings, and neither do CT bandings, outside of the extremes.

Mine It is not a council tax rebate as such but a way to help people struggling with energy bills. The government via local authorities is using the council tax bands as a way to make a general assessment of those who may be struggling. Someone who is council tax exempt may still be eligible for a payment of £150 from discretionary funds.

Can someone explain why people who are council tax exempt would get £150 rebate paid to them...Dont understand....

you have nothing to lose

Thank you JaneJudge I will try again to be reassessed.

Here in South Lanarkshire Scotland the money was taken off our bills before they were sent out...My council tax bill went down by £10 per year

AGAA4

I am in band E. I live in a small 2 bedroomed flat and still wonder how the council classed my flat in this band.
One of my neighbours queried this but we are still in E.

this is the link to challenge it

www.gov.uk/challenge-council-tax-band

Thanks OakDryad, hopefully that will help a lot of people on Gransnet

I am in band E. I live in a small 2 bedroomed flat and still wonder how the council classed my flat in this band.
One of my neighbours queried this but we are still in E.

The link I posted above explains that for those who need help with their energy bills but are not eligible – such as households on income support in higher bands (E-H) or with properties in bands A-D that are exempt from council tax – local authorities will receive £144 million of discretionary funding to help. 


www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-support-for-energy-bills-and-the-cost-of-living-factsheets

And there's this:

What support can I access if I am not eligible for the council tax rebate?

The government has provided all councils in England with funding to provide discretionary support to any household that is in financial need, regardless of council tax band. Each council will develop and publicise eligibility criteria and the claims process for this funding.

www.gov.uk/guidance/council-tax-rebate-factsheet#what-support-can-i-access-if-i-am-not-eligible-for-the-council-tax-rebate

So people who are council tax exempt wont get it? surely they are in the poorest category?

Sadly we are F .

It could be more the madness of coucil tax per se, rather than this particular application. (But that is a much more in depth discussion )

I was listening to the dreadful Steve Allen on LBC this morning.
I usually do, despite myself.

Anyway, he mentioned that he is in the higher income tax bracket (ie 45%).
And then half an hour or so said that he’d received the £150.
Seems a bit mad.

I am ever so slightly obsessed about everyone getting the benefits they should How.

If everyone claimed they might just simplify the system by paying a higher basic pension, for instance. (I also don't like the idea of extreme struggling)

DaisyAnne We're not entitled. My husband works full-time. Thanks, though.

The funds for this will be ring-fenced, so no point in LAs delaying payouts - still, their (efforts at) administration will vary - and ours are usually pretty pathetic. So, I'm pleased to get a swift response.

Email received:

Your claim submitted through GrantApproval.co.uk under reference number: has been updated. Thank you for your application, we are pleased to approve your claim. Payment will be made within 10 working days of receiving this email.

and we have a majority Labour council.

Jane you are lucky- my council I think is broke which will not help. They have not said they will not pay until September- they are always very slow if eg they make a mistake. They are also being taken to court for corruption so they are otherwise engaged. It will arrive here sometime so for me it will be a pleasant surprise.

An email was received last week from our council to notify us the £150 had been paid into our account

Thank you OD.

Charleygirl5

My council, Labour, will hang on to the £150 until the very last moment. I do not expect to see a penny until September.

Our council is Labour and we had our £150 at the beginning of April.