Liverpool Council has confirmed when residents across the city will receive a council tax rebate to help with energy bills.
The local authority will set aside more than £32m to help support households across Liverpool as the cost of living crisis begins to bite. In February, the UK Government announced a package of support to help people with increasing energy costs.
The support will come in the form of two schemes - a core programme consisting of a £150 rebate for properties in council tax bands A-D. The discretionary scheme will help households outside of those bands and those who are eligible but may need further support.
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Around 103,000 households are paying council tax by direct debit across Liverpool and it is anticipated that the first payments of £150 will start to be sent out by the end of this month, into early May. A Liverpool Council cabinet report said that due to the “large volumes to be processed it is likely to take a number of weeks to complete this part of the scheme.”
Residents among the 122,000 households who pay council tax other than by direct debit, including 775 council employees who pay via their salary, can expect to receive their rebate in late May to early June.
The local authority’s executive team is expected to sign off on the rebate scheme when it meets next week. A total of £1.6m has been made available to Liverpool Council by the government for the discretionary scheme on top of the £32m main pot.
Households must meet a certain number of criteria to receive the payment, which include the property being someone’s sole or main residence and the council tax payer not part of a governmental, local authority or housing association body. Properties will not be eligible for the rebate if there is no permanent resident, if it is a second home, or unoccupied.
Residents in council tax bands E to H in receipt of council tax support as well as households in bands F to H qualifying for the disabled reduction are eligible for the discretionary scheme. This is the same for people in council tax bands E to H qualifying for severe mental impairment exemption and carers discount.
Applications from households in all council tax bands which are in receipt of means tested benefit and are also in arrears with their energy supplier will be supported. Any excess funds not spent by Liverpool Council will be returned to the UK Government.
