Lancashire councils have released details of when and how residents will receive a £150 payment to help with rising energy costs.
In February the government announced a one-off payment of £150 for certain households to meet rising energy bills, known as council tax rebate, as well as a £200 rebate on their energy bill this fall for domestic electricity customers to pay. automatically over the next five years.
The government will disburse the funding to councils in March and will also provide £144million to be used by councils to provide a discretionary payment to people in the EH Band or those who do not pay council tax.
READ MORE: Quick and simple change council taxpayers can make to get £150 back faster
People living in properties that meet all of the following criteria as of April 1 will be eligible:
- It is assessed in municipal tax brackets A to D. This includes property that is assessed in bracket E but has another bracket of assessment of bracket D, due to the deactivated bracket reduction scheme;
- It is someone’s sole or primary residence;
- It is paid accommodation, or in exemption classes N, S, U or W; and
- The person who is liable for council tax (or who would be if the property were not exempt) is not a local authority, body corporate or other body such as a housing association, government or a government agency.
Residents who pay by direct debit will have the rebate paid directly to their bank account. Empty properties and those on EH strips are not eligible for payment. You can check which strip your property is in on the GOV.UK website.
Councils will also operate a discretionary scheme to support people living in EH bands or those with low incomes and those who do not pay council tax due to the council’s tax advantage.
The following information has been released, by March 21, by each council (in alphabetical order) regarding when the rebate will be paid and the number of residences eligible for the rebate in each borough
Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council: rebate will be paid end of April. This will be paid directly into the bank account associated with the housing tax accounts. If you are not paying by direct debit, you will be contacted directly to arrange payment. There are a total of 57,970 houses in the AD strip in Blackburn and Darwen.
Blackpool Council: Residents will need to sign up for direct debit before 4 p.m. on Friday, March 25 so that the rebate is paid directly to your bank – the council is currently working on a system for those who do not pay by direct debit, but warns that it “may take longer”. There are 69,150 houses in the AD strip in Blackpool.
Burnley Borough Council: Rebate will be paid in April directly to the bank account associated with the housing tax accounts. If you are not paying by direct debit, you will be contacted directly to arrange payment. There are 40,100 houses in the AD strip in Burnley.
Chorley Tip: The discount will be paid in April directly to the bank account associated with the housing tax accounts. If you are not paying by direct debit, you will be contacted directly to arrange payment. There are 43,240 houses in the AD strip in Chorley.
Fylde Tip: Residents will need to sign up for Direct Debit before Friday, March 25 so that the remittance is paid directly to your bank. If you are not paying by direct debit, you will be contacted directly to arrange payment. There are 30,150 houses in the AD strip in Fylde.
Hyndburn Borough Council: Rebate will be paid by April 30 directly to the bank account associated with the housing tax accounts. If you are not paying by direct debit, you will be contacted directly to arrange payment. There are 35,760 houses in the AD strip in Hyndburn.
Lancaster City Council: Hasn’t confirmed when it will pay council tax refund, but is “working on” the refund process. There are 58,400 homes in the AD strip in Lancaster.
Pendle Borough Council: Rebate will be paid in April directly to the bank account associated with the housing tax accounts. If you are not paying by direct debit, you will be contacted directly to arrange payment. There are 37,250 houses in the AD strip in Pendle.
Preston City Council: Did not confirm when it will pay the council tax refund, but said it will be paid directly into the bank account associated with council tax accounts. If you are not paying by direct debit, you will be contacted directly to arrange payment. There are 58,940 houses in the AD strip in Preston.
Ribble Valley Borough Council: Rebate will be paid end of April. This will be paid directly into the bank account associated with the housing tax accounts. If you are not paying by direct debit, you will be contacted directly to arrange payment. There are 19,080 homes in the AD strip in Ribble Valley.
Rossendale Tip: The discount will be paid in April directly to the bank account associated with the residence tax accounts once your first monthly payment has been received. Residents will need to have set up direct debit by March 17 in order to receive the rebate by bank transfer. If you are not paying by direct debit, you will be contacted directly to arrange payment. There are 29,000 houses in the AD strip in Rossendale.
South Ribble Borough Council: Rebate will be paid in April directly to the bank account associated with the housing tax accounts. If you are not paying by direct debit, you will be contacted directly to arrange payment. There are 43,720 houses in the AD strip in South Ribble.
West Lancashire Borough Council: Did not confirm when it will pay Council Tax Refund, but said it will be paid directly to the bank account associated with Council Tax Accounts. If you are not paying by direct debit, you will be contacted directly to arrange payment, but this will “take longer”. There are 41,040 homes in the AD strip in West Lancashire.
Tip from Wyre: Didn’t confirm when it will pay the council tax refund, but said it will be paid directly to the bank account associated with council tax accounts. If you are not paying by direct debit, you will be contacted directly to arrange payment, but this will “take longer”. There are 44,090 houses in the AD strip in Wyre.
