The government has announced a support package to help households with rising energy prices. This is known as the Council Tax Energy Rebate. This includes:
• A £150 non-repayable Council Tax Energy Rebate for households in England in Council Tax bands A – D.
• A Discretionary fund to support those suffering financial hardship as a result of the rising cost of living.
Eligibility
Households in Council Tax bands A – D.
You can find your Council Tax band on your Council Tax bill, alternately visit gov.uk.
Every household that occupies a property which meets all of the following criteria on 1 April 2022:
- It is valued in Council tax bands A – D. This includes property that is valued in band E but has an alternative valuation band of band D, as a result of the disabled band reduction scheme
- It is someone’s sole or main residence
- It is a chargeable dwelling, or in one of the following exemption classes:
- Class N – a dwelling occupied entirely by students
- Class S – a dwelling occupied wholly by persons under the age of 18
- Class U – a dwelling occupied wholly by persons who are severely mentally impaired
- Class W – an annex flat or similar self-contained property occupied by a dependent relative of a person living in the main part of the building; and
- The person who is liable to pay Council Tax (or would be were the property not exempt) is not a local authority, corporate body or other body such as a housing association, the government or government body
- An unoccupied property or a property that has no permanent resident and is someone’s second home are not eligible.
We will make every effort to write to all households we think should apply for the Council Tax Energy Rebate as soon as the application form is available on our website. You do not need to contact us in the meantime.
*Please note, we will not contact you by telephone for this.
Discretionary fund
Details of the discretionary fund and who is eligible to apply will be published here once available.
Receiving payments
- The Council Tax Energy Rebate is being paid on the assumption that the person receiving the payment is liable for the Council Tax bill for the property (or would be if the property were not exempt) and that the property meets the criteria above.
- If this is not the case, the energy rebate will be subject to recovery.
- The Council Tax Energy Rebate is being provided to support all residents of a household. Only one payment of £150 will be made per household, regardless of the number of occupants or liable council taxpayers.
- All payments will be subject to pre-payment checks.
*The Government will not tolerate any council Tax payer falsifying their records or providing false evidence to gain access to the Council Tax Energy Rebate or the Discretionary fund.
A Council Tax payer who provides false information or makes false representation in order to benefit may be guilty of fraud under the Fraud Act 2006.
Direct Debit Payers
Automatic payments of £150 were made where possible to Council Tax Payers who pay Council Tax via direct debit. Please check the bank account you use to pay your Council Tax.
If you pay via direct debit, but you are not the named person on the direct debit bank details or your most recent payment taken in respect of your Council Tax was returned as Unpaid, you will be invited to apply for the Council Tax Energy Rebate.
We will make every effort to write to all households we think should apply for the Council Tax Energy Rebate as soon as the application form is available on our website. You do not need to contact us in the meantime.
If you do not receive an invitation by 16 July 2022 please call us on 0345 302 2312 or email us at CouncilTaxEnergyRebate@lambeth.gov.uk.
Non Direct Debit Payers
If you do not pay your council tax via direct debit, we will make every effort to write to all households we think should apply for the Council Tax Energy Rebate as soon as the application form is available on our website. You do not need to contact us in the meantime.
If you do not receive an invitation by 16 July 2022 please call us on 0345 302 2312 or email us at CouncilTaxEnergyRebate@lambeth.gov.uk.
How to apply
You will receive an invitation letter explaining how you should apply for the scheme or the steps you need to take to collect the £150 rebate from Post Office.
Contact Us
If you do not have access to a computer and need assistance in completing the form, please contact us on 0345 302 2312 or email us at CouncilTaxEnergyRebate@lambeth.gov.uk.
If you encounter technical issues while completing the application form, please email CouncilTaxEnergyRebate@lambeth.gov.uk.
Fraud awareness
We have had reports that thieves are contacting people by phone, claiming they need their bank details to access the new rebate payment. We will never telephone a resident unannounced to ask them for their bank details.
For information on identifying and reporting scams, you can visit the following websites:
Action Fraud
NCSC Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS)
Further information
For more information about the £150 Council Tax rebate and other ways the government is helping with rising energy costs, visit gov.uk
Alternatively, please read the Government's Council Tax energy rebate information leaflet.