Rotherham Council has set out plans for how it will get energy bill support payments to every household in the borough.
The Council intends to make it simple and easy for residents to access by providing the funds direct, without the need for a bureaucratic and time-consuming application process. It is assuring residents that the money will be on its way within weeks and is asking people not to make contact about the payments while it focuses on processing them.
People living in property bands A to D for Council Tax are entitled to a £150 Government payment in response to the rising cost of energy. The criteria, set by Government, means that Councils are not simply able to automatically reduce Council Tax bills by £150 but instead must make a separate payment to eligible households.
Almost 112,000 of the near 119,000 properties in Rotherham (94%) qualify for this rebate.
For people who pay Council Tax by Direct Debit, the Council will deposit the £150 directly into the bank account used to make your payments. This will be done at the end of April 2022 and eligible households will receive a letter to confirm when payment is on its way.
Around 34,000 households in Rotherham don’t use direct debit to pay their Council Tax, so the Council is making alternative arrangements to get the money to them in the fastest way possible.
Under plans set out in a report to the Council's Cabinet published today, this is set to be a payment by cheque, sent by post, which recipients can deposit or cash at banks or building societies. Alternatively, if residents choose not to deposit or cash the cheque within three months, the cheque will be cancelled and the relevant Council Tax account credited with the £150.
It is expected that the cheques will be issued at the end of May 2022, once the Council has carried out the required validation for non-direct debit payers.
The Government has also provided additional funding of £616,000 to support residents living in the near 7,500 properties in Rotherham which fall into Council Tax bands E to H.
Under the plans set out in the Cabinet report, the Council is proposing that this funding is distributed equally between the remaining households, which would mean they each receive a payment of approximately £82 per household. The same process will be used for making payments as for homes in bands A to D.
Distributing the funding is a significant administrative process and the Council is asking residents to remain patient and not to contact the Council with enquiries about the scheme while it works hard to process almost 119,000 payments as quickly as possible.
Councillor Saghir Alam, Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, Community Safety and Finance at Rotherham Council said: "No scheme is perfect or will suit everyone, but our number one aim is to get this money to as many residents as possible by the quickest and most efficient route available without needing to ask residents to complete an application form, which would then need to assessed and processed. By issuing cheques to non-Direct Debit payers rather than creating a claim form system, we can avoid a lengthy wait for thousands of households who need the support right now.
"We'd like to ask residents for their patience while the payments are processed and please don't contact us about the scheme unless absolutely necessary so we can focus on getting this money distributed as quickly as possible."
The Council's Cabinet will meet on 28 March to confirm the payment plans.