People who don't directly pay their energy bills to an energy company will be able to apply for £400 of help this month. It follows help of a similar amount being made to everyone else who pays bills late last year.
The Daily Record is reporting that the Government will launch its Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding application portal on Monday, February 27. There will also be a telephone helpline for people who are unclear about the scheme.
The one-off, non-repayable lump sum will be delivered by your local council. People who qualify include those who live in park homes, houseboats, off-grid and care homes, or those paying their energy bills as part of an all-inclusive rental agreement with their landlord.
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Last week, energy minister Graham Stuart told MPs of the revised opening date, explaining that due to the complex nature of the application process it was essential to get it right first time otherwise payments to hundreds of thousands of households could be delayed. Some 29 million households are already receiving monthly discounts through the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS).
Stuart said: “I am confident that we will have the portal up by or on Monday, February 27. We will work with local authorities, upon which we rely, and I thank the four pilot authorities and other local authorities.
“We need to make sure that their staff are trained, that the complexities are dealt with and that they have a robust system, so that they can swiftly process applications and make sure families get the money they so direly need. Robust fraud checks are necessary in an application-based system, to which there is no alternative for this group."
Once households have applied to receive support and their applications have been processed and verified, eligible applicants' details will be shared with local authorities who will deliver the one-off, non-repayable support "this winter".
Who can claim the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding?
Payments to households that meet the eligibility criteria – including people who get their energy through a commercial contract or who are off-grid – will be made your local council.
People who qualify include:
- care home residents
- park home residents
- tenants in certain private and social rented homes
- homes supplied via private wires
- residents of caravans and houseboats on registered sites
- farmers living in domestic farmhouses
- off-grid households
Applicants will only be able to submit information through the GOV.UK portal when it opens this month and should not contact their local authority directly as they will not be able to offer any more information.
The UK Government also said that the exact date that an eligible household will receive support will depend on when the application is made and when the payment can be processed by the relevant local authority.
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