Issue - meetings

Members gave consideration to a report which sought agreement to amend the Discretionary Council Tax Energy Rebate Scheme, previously agreed by delegated decision on 9 May 2022.

Earlier in the year, the Government had announced the Council Tax Energy Rebate Scheme to assist residents with the rising costs of energy by making a payment of £150 according to their council tax bands.

The scheme had been split into two areas of work; the core scheme being for residents in council tax bands A-D and which is fully funded and the discretionary scheme, intended for residents in bands E-H.

Government Funding had been allocated for this purpose with any underspend to be paid back to Government.  It was also stressed any overspend would have to be met by the Local Authority.  The scheme was due to close on 30 November 2022.

The delegated decision taken in May, in respect of the discretionary element was summarised to Committee and was available publicly and had enabled automatic payments of £150 to be made to anyone in Bands E to H in a vulnerable category, leaving the remaining balance to allocate to anyone else in Bands E to H to make an application with supporting evidence of financial hardship.

Members noted that since the Scheme launched 351 accounts in bands E-H had received a payment and of the original allocation £117,300 remained unspent. 

Four options in respect of extending the discretionary scheme, to assist West Lindsey residents with their energy bills, had been considered, with each detailed within the report.  The option being recommended to the Committee was option 1; a small payment to all Band E Council tax account holders who had not yet received a payment. 

The rationale for this preferred Option was outlined to Members and contained in Section 6 of the report.

Debate ensued and Members remarked on the hard work undertaken by the team to administer such schemes since the onset of, first the pandemic, and now cost of living measures.  

Whilst acknowledging the payment to each account was small, Members considered this to be a pragmatic approach and a preference to the funding being returned to Central Government.  The approach was fully supported across the Chamber and although it was a very small amount, Members considered it would be welcomed by a large number of people, targeted those it had been demonstrated had not received assistance to date and that it would be foolhardy to return funding to Central Government.

Members sought indication as to the additional costs associated with administering such schemes and making such payments, and whether this had to be taken from the total funding allocation, met by the Authority or funded separately.

Whilst it was not feasible for Officers to provide a transaction cost for per applicant currently, Officers did confirm that only that week notification had been received from the Government, that administering organisations needed to complete an application for what were deemed “New Burdens”, which was the funding towards administering the Schemes.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 38