Published: Friday 11th March 2022 | 11.13am
Cannock Chase Council is currently preparing to issue over 41,000 payments of £150 to residential properties falling within council tax bands A to D. The £150 will not have to be paid back.
This follows the recent Government announcement to use the Council Tax system to make this one-off payment to households most likely to be affected by the current increases in energy costs.
The Council has issued guidance on how the scheme will work and how the payments are to be made.
While it has been reported as a Council Tax Rebate and will be paid to the person responsible for the Council Tax payment, the payment will not actually show on the Council Tax bill. Instead, payments of £150 will be paid separately and directly to the people who qualify and straight into their bank account, wherever possible.
This will mean that Council Tax demands for 2022/23, being delivered from today onwards, will need to be paid in the usual way. Council staff will contact all the affected households to let them know how and when to expect the payments.
A small fund is also available to help vulnerable residents who do not qualify for this payment. Details on how this will operate will be announced later in April.
The Council is keen to make it clear to its residents the following points:
• The Government has said that no payments can be made before April
• Where a Council Tax bill has been paid by direct debit, the instalments will be claimed in the usual way and the payment will be made into the account in April
• All other qualifying residents will need to claim the payment by application form
• An application form to make a claim will be available in April
Cannock Chase Council Leader, Councillor Olivia Lyons said: “We are very mindful of the pressures on household income at the moment, especially from rising energy costs. This support from the Government is therefore welcome.
“Our officers are working extremely hard to undertake what will be a major task to make these payments to around 90% of the households in our District, especially as we do not hold bank details for a significant number of Council Tax payers.
“For most residents, payment will be made directly into a bank account. We will, however, make alternative methods available; for example, to people who do not have a bank account.
“We would ask our residents to be patient with us while all the necessary arrangements are being put in place. We will administer all qualifying payments as quickly as we can.”
Full details of the Council’s scheme can be found at www.cannockchasedc.gov.uk/CTER