Residents in the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead, who pay Council Tax by Direct Debit and live in Band A to D properties, are starting to receive their £150 energy rebate payments from this week.
Most households in Council Tax Bands A to D are getting a one-off award of £150 from the Government in 2022/23 to help with increased energy costs. The money does not have to be repaid.
The Royal Borough has been allocated nearly £4.6m to distribute in line with the national criteria. The process for making these payments is different depending on whether an eligible resident pays Council Tax by Direct Debit or not.
No action is needed for the 72 per cent of all Band A to D households in the Royal Borough who pay by Direct Debit. The council is using Direct Debit details to pay the money automatically into people’s bank accounts, unless there is a query due to the liable party name being different.
The payment process is expected to run for up to two weeks and around 20,000 residents will receive the money automatically this way. No confirmation of payment will be issued so please check the account you use to pay your Direct Debit.
Meanwhile, residents who live in Band A to D properties and do not pay Council Tax by Direct Debit are asked to complete an online form to provide bank account and other requested details. Please complete the form on the Grant Approval website at www.grantapproval.co.uk
Those residents will need to input their property reference number and Council Tax account number from their Council Tax bill. Residents without online access can visit their local library for assistance and to use the public-access computers. Please take along details of your bank account and your current Council Tax bill, or where you do not have your Council Tax bill, evidence of identity which includes your name and address.
For residents who need help with energy bills but are not eligible for the £150 rebate, such as households in receipt of Council Tax Reduction in higher bands (E-H), the Royal Borough has been allocated £294,150 to administer an award up to £150 under a local discretionary scheme. These residents will be invited to apply for the payments following approval of the discretionary application criteria in June 2022.
Payments can be distributed up to 30 September 2022, so residents in Band A to D properties who do not pay Council Tax by Direct Debit, and residents eligible for discretionary payments, will have a good window of opportunity to make online applications. Both these groups of residents are expected to total around 15,000 households in the Royal Borough.
Councillor Andrew Johnson, the Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Growth and Opportunity, said: “We are proud to have one of the lowest Council Tax rates in England, which is helping to keep household costs down, however we know that things are tight for many people at the moment and this welcome Government money will help to mitigate some of rise in energy costs.
“Thank you to our Revenues and Benefits team, who are working hard to make payments as swiftly as possible in line with national criteria. We will very shortly be working with community partners to raise awareness of wider local support that can help those struggling to cope with the rising cost of living, so please look out for further information.”
Residents can check their Council Tax band at www.gov.uk/council-tax-bands More information on the energy rebate scheme can be found at www.rbwm.gov.uk/home/council-tax-and-benefits/council-tax/council-tax-energy-rebate