Account Credit
We found all potential qualifiers and invited them to make a claim for the rebate. In cases where customers did not apply or supply enough evidence to support their claim, we made a credit of £150 onto their Council Tax accounts. We took this decision to ensure that our customers did not miss out on the vital award.
If you pay by direct debit
We have made payments to more than 77,000 Direct Debit payers between 11 and 13 May 2022. The payments will show in bank accounts in 2 or 3 days. We have sent letters to the recipients.
If you pay your council tax by direct debit, we will pay the £150 Energy Rebate directly to the account that we use to collect your payments. We will not deduct the £150 Energy Rebate payment from your council tax bill. We will still collect your direct debit on the dates shown on your bill.
There are a couple of exceptions. If you recently set up a new direct debit instruction, we will not be able to make an energy rebate to you automatically. We will write to you during May and invite you to make an online application.
Also, the government has said we are not allowed to automatically make payment where the bank account name and the name on the Council Tax account do not match. (Even where we have successfully collected Council Tax for many months or even years). This may be that you changed the name on your bank account in the past or that someone else pays the Council Tax for you. In such cases we aim to write to those concerned during May to invite them to claim. We will ask them to confirm the bank account for payment.
If you do not pay by direct debit
If you do not pay your Council Tax by direct debit, and are eligible for an energy rebate payment, we will write to you later in May and invite you to claim.
We can only accept applications made electronically. We will send you a letter inviting you to apply. It will provide you with all the information you need to make your claim. If you are not able to complete the online application yourself the letter will give you details of any help we can provide.
We will make this process simple and straightforward. We will work with other support agencies, such as Citizens Advice Bureau, to ensure everyone that is entitled can receive the rebate. If you are entitled to this rebate payment do not worry, we will ensure that you do not miss out and will receive it.
Once we receive your claim and verify it, we will process the payment directly to your bank account.
Please note, the council will not telephone, email, or text you to ask for your bank details unless there is a problem with your claim.