Council tax rebate, what’s going on?

[Kanfuzed123]

Exactly that, what’s going on with it? Do you have to apply? I thought it was automatic. We live in a band d property and all we’ve seen is an increase! Not a whiff of this £150 rebate- what gives?

It would have been easier to just reduce people in A-D bands council tax by £150 surely?
Our council have said that they are having to install new software that could take a couple of months so that they can send the money out. People who pay direct debits should get the money in their bank earliest end of April. People who don’t pay by direct debit will have to apply later in the year! It could be months before some people get it which will be tough with bills already increasing.
My council tax has gone up £7 a month for this year, so really it’s only £80 off the bill for the year

@murasaki

The enforced loan pisses me off a lot, I don't want to be in hock to this shower and would rather pay. I've not had my council tax bill yet, band c, will see how that works out. But I'd rather opt out of the energy bill thing.

Yes, me too, as I'm fortunate enough to have fixed my energy price until Aug 23, so won't be affected next winter.

It's probably easier for the councils to issue a one off £150 to all rate payers as their systems are set to discount tax for single occupiers and reduce tax for students, or people on lower incomes.

My tariff finishes this month so my energy costs more than double, but my annual dd plan ends in October and I've paid my winter costs so I'll only have to find £10 a month till next November and I'm paying half my £150 to cover this.

@RiaG91

We got our bill yesterday and it has increased. No mention of the rebate 🤷‍♀️

Yes, it's being administered separately. My bill has also gone up, but the rebate was referred to.

Well… austerity that’s pushed people to the brink where only the truly wealthy are able to prosper sounds a bit like survival of the fittest to me? Or have you not heard about in work poverty or families choosing to heat or eat?
But by giving £150 to those in 'cheaper' homes is helping families in work poverty, surely? Better than another tax break.

It's probably not even that well targeted by giving the £150 discount to bands A to D only as there's probably lots of pensioners still living in higher band family homes, struggling with ever increasing bills on a low income although you could argue they have the option to downsize or do equity release.

We're the other way, a middle earning childfree couple in a band A property (a 2 bed semi in a quiet area that's suited to our needs) that's more than enough for us, we'd rather keep our outgoings low than go for bigger and better and we're too lazy to move house.

We're going to donate our £150 to the NEA linked above, thank you to a previous MN thread for that idea.

@Billandben444

Well… austerity that’s pushed people to the brink where only the truly wealthy are able to prosper sounds a bit like survival of the fittest to me? Or have you not heard about in work poverty or families choosing to heat or eat? But by giving £150 to those in 'cheaper' homes is helping families in work poverty, surely? Better than another tax break.

But it’s not in any meaningful way now is it, please don’t forget this isn’t in isolation, there have been cuts to UC, NI is going up, inflation is at 7/8% and wages definitely do not reflect this, the astronomical rise in energy, the rise in fuel, food costs, council tax increases (as a poster said upthread it’s really only £89 off her bill) and oh yeah a decade of austerity that had already pushed some people to the brink. All of that is thousands each year, and you’re telling me that a singular payment of £150 is going to help people in any meaningful way? Oh please

OP, oh please, it's your thread so feel free to derail it. What started off as a request for info, you've turned into a gloom and doom anti-gov thread. Crack on, dear.

@Westfacing "It's not a handout - it's a loan which will be taken back."

This is the £150 council tax rebate, are you thinking of the £200 energy 'loan'? This will be applied to bills in Oct this year and paid back at £40 a year from 2023. The £200 energy bills allowance is different to the £150 rebate we're talking about here. The £150 does not have to be repaid.

Our local council have been updating people on their social media pages and by post, from May onwards.

All of that is thousands each year, and you’re telling me that a singular payment of £150 is going to help people in any meaningful way? Oh please

It's helping me. My CT bill is £11 per month less this year. Irrespective of other increases, it will help. I realise the cost of fuels are rising ridiculously but I can't wrap my head around the idea that £150 won't help. We are a low income family and we are going to struggle. We shall struggle £150 less though

If you pay your council tax by DD it will automatically be put into that account in April if you qualify. If you don’t contact your council and they will tell you what to do

If you don’t want the ££150 donate it to something but quit moaning

[quote FarmGirl78]**@Westfacing* "It's not a handout - it's a loan which will be taken back."*

This is the £150 council tax rebate, are you thinking of the £200 energy 'loan'? This will be applied to bills in Oct this year and paid back at £40 a year from 2023. The £200 energy bills allowance is different to the £150 rebate we're talking about here. The £150 does not have to be repaid.[/quote]
@FarmGirl78 I stand corrected - thank you.

@Billandben444

OP, oh please, it's your thread so feel free to derail it. What started off as a request for info, you've turned into a gloom and doom anti-gov thread. Crack on, dear.

God you’re patronising aren’t you.

You asked (rudely) asked a question and I answered it.

@drawingpad

All of that is thousands each year, and you’re telling me that a singular payment of £150 is going to help people in any meaningful way? Oh please

It's helping me. My CT bill is £11 per month less this year. Irrespective of other increases, it will help. I realise the cost of fuels are rising ridiculously but I can't wrap my head around the idea that £150 won't help. We are a low income family and we are going to struggle. We shall struggle £150 less though

My point wasn’t that the £150 has 0 impact rather that it’s not significant enough given the rises across the board

Council tax systems are designed to collect payments not make payments so councils are having to set up totally new processes to make these payments and make sure they reach the correct person.
In theory that should be straightforward if council tax is paid by direct debit but even then not everyone for example uses their own bank account to pay their council tax so councils are having to check that the bank account details tie in with the householder details. Then there the complexity of shared households or properties where the landlord pays the council tax - who should get the energy payment in that situation?
There's also the households that don't pay by direct debit - councils don't have their bank details on file and are having to set up processes to gather and validate them. This puts the process really vulnerable to fraud.
Over the past couple of years the Government has been using councils to pay out COVID grants to businesses and test & trace payments to individuals but they really don't have the technology or manpower to do this work easily. Some funding has been provided for 'admin' but it doesn't help when designing new systems from scratch.
Government do this to shift the focus onto supposed council inefficiency - councils knew absolutely nothing of this until the announcement about the £150 payments was made and the details of what councils are actually expected to do and the controls that have to be put in place when distributing the funds are only just filtering through.

@AwkwardPaws27

Our local council have said it will be paid in April. This was in their email newsletter - "The rebate is likely to be paid into your bank account following your first direct debit payment for the 2022/23 financial year".

Have you checked your council website/ newsletter?

Ours is doing the same @AwkwardPaws27 unless you owe the council money then they're knocking it off the balance.

Ours have said it’s for bands A-D and if you pay by direct debit, they will automatically pay it into your bank account at the end of April. If you don’t pay by DD, you have to fill in a form.

Mine has an automated message when I called them (about something else), saying it would be paid sometime June-September! Kent, SE England.

Does anyone know what happens if you move house? I'm due to move from a band D to a band E property around 1st April and I'm not sure whether I'm eligible or not. A rebate implies it's based on 2021-22 but I'm really not sure.

@ifoundthebread

My council tax bill had a leaflet it in, just mentioned the £150 and there will be more information later in the year. If you pay by dd you will get a credit to your bank

This is what I got.

For it to have any meaning the £150 should be deducted from the bill. Given that my bill has risen by £70 this year, in real terms my £150 rebate is £80. Had it been deducted from the bill then I wouldn't have to use any of it to cover the increase in my CT.

To add - Thankfully, my council has frozen the tax this year so same as last. My parents, in a different council and on a small pension are really worried about their increase, alongside the energy bills and petrol costs. It's awful. I wish they'd downsize (just an ordinary 3 bed semi) but band F (outer London) so no £150 as their bills are escalating so much. They're hardly using their car and only putting on the heating when absolutely necessary. But they've been in the house 53 years, my sister and I were both born there and they really really don't want to move. Both worked all their lives and living like this. I really wish I could help them out financially but sadly I'm not in a position to.

@murasaki Also, if you pay no council tax, surely you don't get a free cash amount
? Is that true? yes of course people do as it’s nothing to do with council tax!

Of the bill reduces the amount of benefit to cover it will also reduce
@drawingpad no, the £150 is in addition to any rebate. As it’s nothing to do with council tax. The £150 is not a reduction on council tax at all. Do people not follow the news at all?