Council Tax £150 rebate - discretionary scheme

The application process for the discretionary scheme is now closed.

The application process was open from 15 August to 2 October 2022. We will now assess how much we can pay to eligible applicants, taking into account the amount of applications we have received and the amount of money allocated to the council by government for this purpose.

We aim to start paying out from the discretionary fund from early October 2022.

About the scheme

Earlier in the year, we put a discretionary scheme in place to support households who have been impacted by the cost of living crisis but were not eligible for the government’s £150 Council Tax rebate. We still have some funding available, so have put together a second scheme. The criteria is aimed at those who we think will need it most.

If you meet one of the eligibility criteria below you may be entitled to this financial support. The following criteria must have been true as of 1^st April 2022;

You live in a property in Council Tax band E to H where
- Council Tax Support is paid
- A disabled band reduction is awarded
- A Carer disregard is applied
- A Severely Mentally Impaired (SMI) disregard is applied
You are on a low income or income related benefits and pay the energy bills on a property as your main residence but do not pay the Council Tax on the property (there must have been no payment made for the property under the main scheme).
You are living in supported or emergency accommodation. Your property must be your primary residence and you must be paying or contributing to energy bills.
You are in receipt of low income or income related benefits and reside in a house of multiple occupation (HMO) and other properties where the landlord, property owner or employer is the Council Tax payer. The property must be the primary residence of the person being paid and they must be paying or contributing to energy bills (there must be no payment made for the property under the main scheme).
Properties where a review, proposal or appeal pre-dating the government’s announcement on 3 February 2022 is successful after 1 April 2022. The change is effective on or before 1 April 2022 and as a result, a household would have been eligible for the rebate.
You are disregarded as a student for Council Tax purposes but pay towards the energy bills.
You are on a low income or income related benefits, but you do not qualify for Council Tax Support
You are part of a low income family, with dependant children or disabled non-dependants, and are not in receipt of benefits or Council Tax Support (ignoring any disability payment).

For the purposes of low income, it will not exceed:

£29,120 a year for a family with one child
£36,244 a year for a family with two children
£43,992 a year for a family with three or more children

If having read the above criteria you think you may be eligible for the discretionary scheme, and have not already received payment through the main scheme, please use the form on this page to apply.

When you are completing the form, you will be asked a number of questions to determine if you are eligible for the payment. You will also be asked to upload evidence to support your application, so it will be handy to have this ready before you begin. You may be asked to provide

A copy of an energy bill showing your name and address
Proof of low income (such as payslips for each member of the household showing the Gross Year to Date pay)
Proof of income-related benefits (such as your entitlement letter)
Proof of Student status in the form of a student certificate
Evidence to show the number of children in the property (such as bank statements showing payment of Child Benefit)
Proof of receipt of benefit for disabled non-dependants