Letters are being sent out to households with details of how to claim their £150 council tax rebate.
Tendring District Council (TDC) has already made the payment automatically to households who pay by direct debit, with the last payments due to arrive today (15 June); or within two to four weeks for those who recently switched to direct debit.
Now the authority is writing to households who qualify for the mandatory scheme but do not pay their council tax by direct debit with details on how to claim – and will also write to any direct debit payers who do not receive an automatic payment for any reason.
Each home will receive a unique code which can then be used to complete an online form confirming their details. The form takes two minutes to complete, but the code is only valid for 30 days.
The Government announced a mandatory energy rebate scheme for homes in council tax bands A-D, to come into effect from April, with each property receiving £150 to help with rising energy costs.
Carlo Guglielmi, TDC Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, encouraged people to claim quickly.
“We know people are keen to get this payment, and we have been working flat out to make sure we have the right processes in place to make it – and have already made payments to more than 35,000 households who pay by direct debit,” Cllr Guglielmi said.
“It is important to get this part right, to prevent fraud and make sure that the money is paid to the correct people and accounts.
“Now the process is up and running, I’d urge people to submit their details as soon as they get their letter so we can get these payments made quickly.”
A discretionary rebate scheme – for those in council tax bands E-H and who also receive help from the Local Council Tax Support Scheme, and top-up payments for those who have received their rebate but may need top-up support – will be available in the coming weeks.
The Government has also announced further financial support for the Autumn, which will be administered by energy companies.
The letter containing the unique code also contains details of how to claim for anyone who is not online, but the fastest way to make your claim is via the online form.
While councils must make every effort to pay out the rebate as payments to bank accounts, anyone who does not claim will see an equivalent credit added to their council tax account later in the year.
For further details visit www.tendringdc.gov.uk/node/15788.
