Councillor concerned households missing out on £150 energy rebate

Sefton Council Cabinet Member Cllr Paulette Lappin has expressed concern that households in the Borough may be missing out on a possible £150 energy rebate payment, because it is being overshadowed by people’s concerns about domestic fuel bills.

Households in Sefton, in Council Tax bands A to D, that have not yet received a one-off £150 Energy Rebate can apply online for a payment through a discretionary scheme. Those who are eligible could include people who are directly responsible for energy costs but whose Council Tax is paid by someone else such as a housing provider, a charity or a non-resident owner.

People who became liable to pay Council Tax to Sefton Council on or after 2nd April 2022, perhaps because of a house move, could also qualify.

Cllr Lappin, who is Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Regulatory Compliance and Corporate Services, said:

“We have finished making automatic payments to eligible properties and now we want to make sure that households in this last group who qualify don’t miss out by missing the end-of-October deadline.

“We don’t know exactly how many households will qualify for this discretionary £150 payment, but it could be between 200 and 300 across the Borough. But although we have been publicising the scheme since it opened, so far we have had relatively few applications.”

Cllr Lappin puts this down to the huge levels of concern and uncertainty people have been facing over sky-rocketing electricity and gas bills, and the subsequent announcement of the Government’s per-unit price cap scheme.

She said:
“I think people have been so focused on whether they are going to be able to heat their homes and the long wait for the Prime Minister to eventually announce the Government would be providing households with a loan to keep bills down, they may have not noticed this scheme.

“It is open to those who were for whatever reason excluded from the initial payments, but the closing date for applications is Monday 31st October.

“To find out more and put in an application, all people need to do is visit www.sefton.gov.uk/discretionary.”

Completing the application requires applicants to provide evidence of occupation and direct payment of energy costs. This means having their Tenancy Agreement, Rent Statement or Completion Statement and their energy bills. They also need to provide their Bank Sort Code and their Bank Account name and number.

Sefton Council has already paid out in the region of £15 million to around 106,000 households in Sefton through the original scheme of automatic payments.

Cllr Lappin added:
“I would also like to remind anyone struggling to access the online application that there is free computer and Wi-Fi access at all Sefton Council Libraries. They just need to visit their local branch to find out more.”