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

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.

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....

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.

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.

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

Doodledog

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.

very unfair criteria. I won`t get it, band E. Family of 4, will get it, working adults with good jobs. The exact same area

I believe that the discretionary rebate will be very limited according to the amount councils are given by government. It will be first past the post and means tested and once used up, no-one else will be eligible

Just be glad…..
Mine is in my account now, and May’s DD has not gone out yet, so I am £150 up at the moment,

Doodledog

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.

Why choose this as a measure of who should get the rebate?
It isn't, as we have had some agreement on, a "Council Tax" rebate. It is a government heating allowance paid to households. But it is neither paid to all households nor the poorest households. My thought originally, based on how the Aussies used it to get household payments out quickly, was that you could ask for less than the best if it was near-instant and stopped people's anxiety for the time being. But this government doesn't do instant, nor on target, or competently. So it will leave a lot of people annoyed but more people, in the end, reasonably happy and that seems to be the level of success they seek to achieve.

You know more about some means-tested areas than I do and I salute any drum banging on this topic. I am convinced we would have a fairer, quicker and cheaper system if we have a proper Universal Living Pension.

Just to say that my local council has confirmed that I will be receiving this money. Anyone who does not pay their council tax by D.D. (including those of us who do not pay any Council Tax), will be sent a letter asking for our bank account details.

So, I just need to wait for that letter/

For those people asking - indignantly - I should get this money as I am exempt from paying council tax, have to tell them that this is NOT A COUNCIL TAX REBATE. The Government have just found it more convenient to send it out via local authorities through their council tax system.

How anyone - even the present government - somehow thinks that being in a lower (A - D) council band makes people more needy than those in larger ones, defeats me.

Agreed Franbern. It is a payment to help some people with their energy bills based on the flawed notion that council tax bands equate to income levels but it isn't a rebate of council tax.

Infuritatingly, PM Johnson was on Good Morning Britain TV today describing help (in the context of the elderly woman who is having to ride the bus all day because she cannot afford to pay her quadrupled fuel bill) as a direct cut in her council tax as a result of what we [the Government] are doing.* In other words, he has added to the confusion over the payment and managed in that short phrase to imply that his Government has given her tax cut.

The £150 appeared one day in my account. Had to go on my councils web page to see what it was for . But everyone is getting it here . I am in band C and get 25% off my council tax because I live on my own. I don't receive any benefits. I own my bungalow.

Yes Whiff everyone, everywhere in UK who is in Bands A-D council tax bands automatically is entitled to this payment. So, presumably not everyone in your area IS getting it. Are there no properties in higher bands than D?

Nothing to do with benefits, nothing to do with ownership, nothing to do with real poverty. Whereas it will help many people, it is a badly thought out piece of propoganda in giving a little towards the vastly inflated fuel bills. Administered via local authorities who, as far as I know, were never consulted about it.
Those people living in rented, multi-occupied properties will probably not get this as they will not be paying individual council tax, it will be included in their rent -and their landlord will get this money.

The very obvious way of a windfall tax on the excessive profit being made by energy companies would be far better.

Just to say that a letter from my local authority arrived in yesterday giving me full information as how to claim this money.

Have now submitted my claim via their website and await the arrival of that money into my bank account.

To update to say that to date I am STILL awaiting this money. I made the claim on line on 5th May - and received confirmation of that claim having gone through. Was told that payment would be approx 21 days as my details required checking etc.

Four weeks later I managed to telephone the department (took me 40 minutes of waiting on the telephone), to be told they have all my details, they have been checked and confirmed and money will be sent within next ten working days. Still waiting!!!

I am sure this will come - but as someone on Pension Credit, etc. I am obviously amongst the more vulnerable members of society -and am puzzled as to why this is taking so very long. It was paid out to those paying by DD i this area in April.

I dont pay with direct debit. I usually pay the CT in 2 halves on the website.

My council sent me a voucher to take to the post office with ID. Rang them up and pointed out I was a disabled non driver.

Oooops!

Can I send a relative with proof of my ID and a letter of authority?

Well that might work but the post office might not accept it. If not get back to us and we will re-issue it in the name of your relative. It will take about 3 weeks.

They have not thought this out.

Thought I would pop back into this thread to report that AT LAST - I have,today, received this £150, that most people received back in April. It has taken all this time, along with three emails to the Council, two forms completed on line, several phone calls for me to receive this.

As I do not actually pay Council Tax, due to benefits, those like me were put at the back of the queue for this money to be actually supplied to us (regardless of the fact that we are likely to be amongst the most needy). In may area, this was paid as a credit to Council Tax back in April. I was notified on 5th May how to claim this (on line), made application that day. Received the money today 15th July!!!!

However, I am able to do things on line, I am concerned as to how many people are just missing out in receiving this money to which they are entitled and definitely need.

Not sure how other areas handled this. Of course, it was the laziness and stupidity of government in making this money available via local authorities who are already very over-stretched with regard to personnel.

Do hope that everybody else who live in a property A-D in Council Tax listings have got this £150.

Franbern, have another look on your council’s website, as councils are now distributing further discretionary funds to households, but each council has its own ways of identifying who needs it most.
My city is using advice agencies, housing associations etc to identify those in need. It is worth finding out more.

I only received mine 2 weeks ago. better late than never!

cabbie21, Yes, I do know this. Without any application I received a letter informing me that I was eligible for a Food Grant last week.

That came through without me know about it or making any application.

However, this one hundred and fifty pounds has taken three months to get to me plus several times me chasing it up. I am concerned about those who do not have capabilities to do this chasing up.

I'm band E too so nothing for me but really can't believe that those who will get it seem so ignorant of how and why etc.
It is not a loan, You do not have to pay anything back.
I can see why those who don't pay by D/D may not how they will receive it but those affected need to pay more attention.

I'm puzzled about this. Yesterday the DWP paid £326 into my bank account with no explanation whatsoever.
So I'm pleased but puzzled.

PS. It's just been explained to me by a kind GN on another thread.

Yep Heneha and a anyone else who received that £326, it is half of the £650 due to be paid. Final installment will be paid in September.

Cabbie21

Franbern, have another look on your council’s website, as councils are now distributing further discretionary funds to households, but each council has its own ways of identifying who needs it most.
My city is using advice agencies, housing associations etc to identify those in need. It is worth finding out more.

They are indeed Cabbie21. Our council has sent out letters that look exactly like the letters with the barcode for a cash payment from the post office. These are for an extra, discretionary amount from the government money passed to the councils. They have caused concern for some of those receiving them, as they are unsure why they were getting them.

Councils do have access to information about who needs what. However, if people think extra could help and haven't received this grant, they can apply to the council.