Agenda item

Report to follow.

The Executive RESOLVED that

(i)            the Discretionary Council Tax Energy Rebate Scheme, as set out at Annex A to the agenda report, be approved; and

(ii)          authority be delegated to the Strategic Director for Finance & Customer Service in consultation with the Finance & Customer Service Portfolio Holder, to distribute any remaining funding to any specific identified vulnerable group as a credit to their Council Tax account by the end of November 2022.

The Executive was reminded that, in February 2022, the Government had announced a package of support, known as the Energy Bills Rebate, to help households with rising energy bills. The scheme included a £150 rebate to all properties in council tax band A-D. In addition, a discretionary fund had been announced to support other financially vulnerable energy bill payers not covered by the main scheme. Surrey Heath had been allocated discretionary funding of £136,500 to support those suffering financial hardship as a result of the rising cost of living, but not eligible for the main energy rebate scheme.

Members were informed that councils could decide locally how best to use the funding to support those suffering financial hardship as a result of the rising cost of living. Members considered a proposed Discretionary Council Tax Energy Rebate Scheme 2022-23, which detailed how it was proposed to allocate this fund.

It was reported that any unallocated monies, as of 30 November 2022, would need to be returned to the Government. In order to ensure that a maximum amount of funding was distributed to the vulnerable in the borough, it was proposed to delegate authority to award the remaining balance of any unspent monies

RESOLVED that

(i)     the Discretionary Council Tax Energy Rebate Scheme, as set out at Annex A to the agenda report, be approved; and

(ii)   authority be delegated to the Strategic Director for Finance & Customer Service in consultation with the Finance & Customer Service Portfolio Holder, to distribute any remaining funding to any specific identified vulnerable group as a credit to their Council Tax account by the end of November 2022.