Set up a Council Tax direct debit to receive energy rebate quickly

Stratford-on-Avon District Council is urging bill-payers to set up a direct debit to pay their Council Tax, to ensure they get their £150 energy rebate payment as quickly as possible.

The energy rebate scheme was announced by the Chancellor Rishi Sunak to help people with rising energy bills and is a one-off fixed payment of £150 which the District Council will pay on behalf of the Government.  This includes those who already receive assistance in paying some or all of their council bill through local council tax support.

All eligible households in England in Council Tax bands A to D, should get the £150 payment from their District Council between April and September this year.

Around 77% of households in Stratford-on-Avon District pay their Council Tax by direct debit and will receive the payment into their bank account without needing to take any action.

However, that leaves around 11,000 households who do not currently pay their Council Tax through this arrangement and getting the rebate money to them will take longer as they will need to go through a claims process.

For those who are not eligible for a rebate under the terms of the core scheme but are struggling to meet the costs of rising energy bills (including those who live in properties that fall into council tax bands E, F, G and H), a discretionary fund is also being launched by Government and will be made available through local authorities.

The District Council is currently working on a scheme for administering the discretionary fund, but payments will be easier and faster for those with direct debits in place.

Residents wishing to set up a direct debit for Council Tax should visit the Council's website: Payment Options | Stratford-on-Avon District Council or call 01789 260990.

Cllr Jo Barker, Homes, Health and Wellbeing Portfolio says: "We know many households will be facing economic hardship in the months ahead and the energy rebate schemes are recognition of that.  It's important that residents know help is available, and that they get their rebate fast. That's why we are urging people to set up a direct debit for their Council Tax this April.  Contact us and we'll set up a Council Tax direct debit for you. This will make paying your Council Tax easier and will help us get the payment to you as quickly as possible."

The District Council has also produced a leaflet for residents, signposting to the government and local support packages available to households, as well as organisations that are able to offer advice and support during these difficult times.

• A maximum of one payment will be made per eligible property, even if more than one person is named on the Council Tax bill or lives in the property.
• No adjustment to this sum will be made for single-person households or multi-person households.

Who is eligible?
The person named on the Council Tax account who meets all the following criteria at 1 April 2022:

• Their home is valued in Council Tax bands A - D. This includes property that is valued in band E but has an alternative valuation band of band D as a result of a disabled band reduction.
• It is the Council Tax payer's sole or main residence.
• It is a chargeable dwelling, or is in one of the following exemption classes:
• N - property occupied only by students
• S - property occupied by only by people under 18 years of age
• U - Class U: (1) a dwelling occupied only by one or more severely mentally impaired persons
• W - self-contained annexes occupied by elderly or disabled relatives

Who is not eligible?
No energy rebate will be paid in respect of:

• A property that has no permanent resident and is someone's second home.
• An unoccupied property (for the purposes of calculating Council Tax).
• Where the Council Tax payer is exempt from paying council for any reason other than one of the four classes referred to earlier.
• Where the person who is liable to pay the Council Tax (or would be were the property not exempt) is a local authority, a corporate body or other body such as a housing association, the government or governmental body.

How and when will it be paid?
Payments must be made directly to the Council Tax bill payer of eligible households; we are required to carry out pre-payment assurance checks to verify that the bank details held match the liable taxpayer named on the council tax records before issuing the payment.

Direct Debit payers
If you are eligible and currently pay your Council Tax by direct debit you will not need to make an application for the payment. The £150 will be paid into the same bank account used to pay your Council Tax. The exception to this is where the name on the bank account details according to our records does not match to the person or persons, we have liable to pay the Council Tax. If this is the case, we will write to you with details on how you can confirm your accounts information. Payments will be made from May 2022, after April's Council Tax instalment has been paid. The Government is asking Councils to have made all payments by the end of September 2022.

Non-Direct Debit payers
If you do not already pay by Direct Debit, why not request to pay your Council Tax by Direct Debit today? This will ensure the £150 payment reaches you quickly without having to fill in an extra form. Direct Debit is the most convenient way to pay your Council Tax and over 77% of residents already use this payment method.