Eligible households who have not received the £150 Energy Bills Rebate can now apply via the Harrogate Borough Council website.
Earlier this year the government announced a package of support known as the Energy Bills Rebate. As part of this support, council taxpayers who live in a band A to D property on 1 April will receive a one-off payment of £150 to support the household with rising energy costs.
The payment will be made for every household where:
- the property is in council tax bands A-D (or in band E and receives a disabled band reduction)
- the property is occupied and someone’s sole or main residence (second homes, empty properties and holiday lets are not eligible)
- low-income households who receive help with their council tax bill (known as council tax reduction) are eligible
- properties occupied only by students or severely mentally impaired persons and exempt from council tax are eligible
The borough council have now processed more than 34,000 payments to those who paid their council tax by Direct Debit by 1 May.
All other eligible households can now complete an online form to claim the rebate.
Following a form being submitted, the council will carry out checks before payment can be made to eligible residents promptly after making a successful application.
There are also a small number of customers, who pay by Direct Debit and did not automatically receive a payment, who can also complete this online form. This was due to one of the following reasons:
- If they had recently set up a Direct Debit and their first instalment was taken on or after 15 May
- The automated checks flagged an issue with your account. There are different reasons for this, the main being that the bank account name did not match the name of the council tax payer.
Councillor Graham Swift, Harrogate Borough Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for resources, enterprise and economic development, said: “At a time when fuels costs are continuing to rise I’d like to thank those council officers who have worked hard to implement this scheme and distribute more than 34,000 payments to eligible residents.
“I’d urge any eligible residents that are non-Direct Debit payers or those who haven’t received the payment to complete the online form as soon as possible.
“I’d also like to take this opportunity to remind Harrogate district residents that the form is only available via the council’s website and we will not send any text messages or emails urging people to apply. There are a number of fraudulent scams doing the rounds across the country and residents should remain vigilant and only apply via the genuine channel.”
The borough council will be publicising the online form on social media and via Residents’ News. The council will also write to eligible households who have not received the rebate or completed the online form. This letter will come from Harrogate Borough Council and will be on letter headed paper.
Those eligible residents without internet access can contact the council via 01423 500600 should they wish to apply for the rebate before the letter has arrived.
The government has allocated further funding to help vulnerable households who do not qualify for the Energy Bills Rebate, this will include people on low income in bands E through to H. Further details will be available by the end of June.
Any residents who are struggling with living costs can find support and information on the Citizens Advice website or via the council’s financial assistance website page. The Energy Saving Trust also has information on how residents can make their home more energy efficient, reduce their carbon emissions and lower their energy bills
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