Sefton Council energy rebate scheme now underway

Sefton residents eligible for the Government’s Energy Rebate Scheme are being recommended to look out for the one-off, £150 payment arriving in their bank accounts.

Payments to over 75,000 Sefton households in Council Tax bands A to D are underway. Sefton Council is making two main batches of payments, to 45,000 households and 30,000 households, based on the date when people’s Direct Debit payments are made from their bank accounts.

The Government announced the Energy Rebate Scheme in February. It is a national, one-off, £150 payment to households living in properties that are in Council Tax bands A to D.

After the Scheme’s announcement Sefton Council urged households across the Borough to sign up and pay their Council Tax by Direct Debit as this would be likely to mean they would receive the Energy Rebate sooner.

Council Tax for over 75,000 of the Borough’s 111,000 Band A to D properties are now paid by Direct Debit. The households will receive the payment automatically.

In early May, the Council will be writing to those eligible households who don’t pay by Direct Debit asking them to provide bank account details so that the £150 can be paid to them directly.

Letters will include a unique code which the household can use to apply securely online. The code can only be used once, and the household will need their Council Tax account reference to hand.

The Council will also be writing to households where the Direct Debit is being paid from a bank account not in the name of the person(s) liable for the Council Tax bill.

People receiving these letters are being asked to respond by the end of June.

In cases where people’s bank details are not provided, the £150 will be credited to the property’s Council Tax account.

Households that don’t pay Council Tax because they are on a low income or subject to exemption will also receive letters inviting them to register for the rebate via an online form. Households will not be able to apply without this letter.

There are also some cases where people have moved in the last few weeks and the Council is following up on these changes of address to ensure payments are made to the right people.

Those receiving a letter from the Council about the scheme are encouraged to respond as quickly as possible with the information requested to ensure payment can be made. Anyone receiving a payment not due to them should contact the Council as not declaring it could be classed as fraud.

Sefton Council is reminding residents that it will never ask for bank details over the phone or by cold calling at the door and to beware of anyone that does.

Sefton’s Council Taxpayers can still sign up to pay their Council Tax by Direct at https://forms.sefton.gov.uk/ddcounciltax/ They will need their Council Tax account reference to hand.

Council Taxpayers in Sefton can also opt to receive their bill electronically, which is easier plus it saves paper. They can sign up for paperless e-billing at https://forms.sefton.gov.uk/ebill/ Once again, they will need their council tax account reference to hand.

Information about the Council Tax Energy Rebate Scheme is available at www.sefton.gov.uk/council-tax.