Nearly every Sefton property in Council Tax bands A to D, is entitled to the payment, which was announced by the Government in February.
Eligible
Cllr Paulette Lappin, Sefton Councilâs Cabinet Member for Regulatory Compliance and Corporate Services said today: âWe want everyone who is eligible, and thatâs almost everyone whose Council Tax band is in A to D, to get this Council Tax Energy Rebate.
âIf you get a letter from Sefton Council asking you to register your bank details, itâs because you are due that ÂŁ150, so please follow the guidance on the letter and register today.â
By the end of last week, around 15,600 households in Sefton had registered after receiving a Council letter.
Sefton Council has now paid out almost ÂŁ10 million of the one-off, ÂŁ150 Council Tax Energy Rebate payments to around 65,800 of the Boroughâs households. The Authority is now working hard to ensure the remaining eligible addresses receive theirs as soon as possible.
Payments
Payments so far have been to those households that pay their Council Tax by Direct Debit. Approaching 40,000 letters have also been sent to households that donât pay by Direct Debit or where Council Tax and bank account details arenât an exact match.
Cllr Lappin added: âThe letters, on Sefton Council Headed Paper each contains a unique, 14-character key code made up of a mixture of numbers, upper-case and lower-case letters, along with details of where to register.
âIf anyone is in doubt, I urge them to visit www.sefton.gov.uk/energyrebate where thereâs lots of information about the scheme, whoâs eligible and how to register if you receive a letter.
âWeâve even got a video there to help people make sure the letters are genuine.â
Exceptions
The few exceptions that are not eligible under the national scheme are:
- those who did not live in Sefton on 1st April;
- second home-owners;
- houses in multiple occupation where the Council Tax bill is in landlordâs name.
Mechanism
Last week Cllr Lappin explained that since the the Government announced the one-off ÂŁ150 payment to help people facing soaring household fuel bills alongside rising prices, increases at the petrol pumps and additional National Insurance payments the Council been devising the mechanism for making the payments.
She said: âWe have needed to come up with a system that sees the ÂŁ17,000,000-plus payments reach the people who need it and ensures we donât see large amounts of public money falling into the wrong hands.”