Thousands of Plymouth households are soon to benefit from an additional pot of just over £550,000 to help with rising fuel costs.
Earlier this year, the Government announced new measures to help protect millions of people from the rising cost of heating their homes.
The first of these measures included a £13 million fund, which enabled 106,000 households in council tax bands A to D to have a one-off £150 non-repayable rebate.
Now, a separate fund, known as the discretionary fund, has been given to local councils to distribute according to local need for households not covered in the initial scheme or for vulnerable households.
Following an extensive modelling exercise, the money will be distributed to the 1,453 households in the following groups:
- Households who are receiving Council Tax support and live in a property banded from E to H will receive £150
- Households with residents that are severely mentally impaired and live in a property banded from E to H will receive £100
- Households with a Disabled Band Relief and live in a property banded from F to H will receive £100*
- Households who have a single person discount and live in a property banded from E to H will receive £100.
In addition, more than 23,000 households who receive Council Tax Support and live in a property banded from A to D will receive a £17.50 payment. This is in addition to the £150 rebate they received earlier in the year.
A further government grant for all households will also be available later in the year as well as additional support for vulnerable households.
Councillor Rebecca Smith, Cabinet member for Strategic Planning, Homes and Communities, said: "The cost of living crisis is affecting us all. But when faced with the decision of how to allocate this additional funding, it was important to ensure we looked after those who we know are most vulnerable either physically or financially.
"Whilst we were never going to be able to help everyone with this additional pot of £550,000, I am confident that by distributing the funds in this manner, we are helping as many households as possible with their energy costs as we head into the autumn and winter months.”
All eligible households who currently pay Council Tax by Direct Debit will receive payment direct into their bank account within the next few weeks
Council Tax Support is a local means-tested scheme for people on low incomes to help them pay their Council Tax. Any owner-occupier or tenant aged 18 or over who is legally responsible for the Council Tax can claim Council Tax Support. You can find out how to apply here.
Where Direct Debit details are not held, eligible households will receive a credit to their Council Tax account.
If households wish to claim the credit as a cash payment they will have the option to request this as a general refund using an online application via our website.
*Disabled band support relief is for households who live in a larger property than they would need if they or another occupant were not disabled. If you qualify, bills are reduced to the next lowest Council Tax band.