Freedom of information response

Energy bill support payments

Publication date: 
Tuesday 6 June 2023
Request: 

The questions below only relate to the “core/main” £150 scheme. No information is required concerning the separate “discretionary” schemes.

1) For properties where you are the local council, how many properties have an unclaimed “core” £150 on their council tax account?

2) How many of the properties in “1)” had at least one individual in council tax exemption class N as at 1 April 2022?

3) For properties where you are the local council, how many were recorded as a Home in Multiple Occupation (HMO) for planning purposes but not for council tax purposes as at 1 April 2022? If such data are not available, how many are currently classed as such?

4) How many of these properties in “3)” have an unclaimed “core” £150 on their council tax account and had at least one individual in council tax exemption class N as at 1 April 2022?

5) What decision(s) has the council made regarding distribution of these unclaimed “core” £150 payments to the eligible 1 April 2022 occupants?

Please provide this information above as at 31 March 2023 by return email.

Response: 

The questions below only relate to the “core/main” £150 scheme. No information is required concerning the separate “discretionary” schemes.

  1. For properties where you are the local council, how many properties have an unclaimed “core” £150 on their council tax account?

We are unable to provide this information. We do not have a report to provide such information

  1. How many of the properties in “1)” had at least one individual in council tax exemption class N as at 1 April 2022?

We are unable to provide this information however we have 277 Class N properties on 01/04/2022

  1. For properties where you are the local council, how many were recorded as a Home in Multiple Occupation (HMO) for planning purposes but not for council tax purposes as at 1 April 2022? If such data are not available, how many are currently classed as such?

We have 257 HMO at the current time. The first part of the question we do not have the data

  1. How many of these properties in “3)” have an unclaimed “core” £150 on their council tax account and had at least one individual in council tax exemption class N as at 1 April 2022?

We do not have that information.  £150 is not the only payment posted to the Council Tax account. There is also the discretionary amount of £55 for working age and £115 for pensioner.  The credits could be a combination of the 2 payments or could be what is outstanding from the payments, or could have nothing to do with Energy payment at all.  We have over 3000 accounts with credit and are in the process of refunding the people that still have credit after this year adjustment. Energy payment is not Council Tax related as such i.e does not have anything to do with day to day function of Council Tax  therefore that is no report that can be run to say identify all the account with £150 still outstanding. The system just does not have that functionality.

  1. What decision(s) has the council made regarding distribution of these unclaimed “core” £150 payments to the eligible 1 April 2022 occupants?

Where the unclaimed core £150 payment have been posted to Council Tax account, where appropriate a refund will be issued and in other instances we have used it to reduce 2023 liability

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Request reference:
FOI 12790