Martin Lewis explains help you can get NOW if you didn’t get the £150 council tax rebate
MARTIN Lewis has revealed the help you can get NOW if you didn’t get the £150 council tax rebate. Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced in February that 28 million households would get a council tax rebate to help with spiralling energy bills. Homes which fall under council tax bands A – D are eligible for the £150 help. You […]
MARTIN Lewis has revealed the help you can get NOW if you didn’t get the £150 council tax rebate.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced in February that 28 million households would get a council tax rebate to help with spiralling energy bills.
Homes which fall under council tax bands A – D are eligible for the £150 help.
You get one payment per household and do not have to pay the money back.
Although many households have seen the cash already land in their account, thousands are still waiting.
Councils have run up against delays dishing out the help for a number of reasons, including tech issues and difficulties administering payments who those who don’t pay via direct debit.
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And many households might not realise they could miss out on the help because they have to apply for it.
But Martin Lewis has explained the help you can get if you didn’t get the £150 rebate in his latest MoneySavingExpert newsletter.
The financial guru reminded households that if they fell outside of the qualifying council tax bands, they could apply to a separate funding pot.
A £144m discretionary fund has been set up for those who are in council bands E-H.
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But Martin warned that there’s limited information on how to access this money through your local council, as “only one in five of them have published how to get it so far”.
He also flagged other cost of living payments that the government will be paying to struggling households.
Each household will get a £400 energy bill grant that they don’t have to pay back.
While eight million on means-tested benefits will get a £650 cash boost.
Plus, eight million pensioners will get a £300 winter fuel discount.
What other help can you get to tackle rising bills?
There are schemes in place to help with rising energy costs.
Energy suppliers have schemes in place where you can apply for free grants to put towards your energy bills.
You can also apply to wipe your energy debt clear, or get money for energy efficient appliances.
Here’s the full list of energy suppliers handing out help and information on how to apply.
Councils also have schemes you can apply to – such as the Household Support Fund and welfare assistance programmes.
Help you can get varies from council to council under the Household Support scheme, but you can get vouchers or cash to put towards your energy bills.
While you can get up to £1,000 in cash if you apply to your local council’s welfare assistance scheme.
If you are struggling with your bills then there are a number of charities and organisations which may be able to help:
- National Debtline – 0808 808 4000
- Step Change – 0800 138 1111
- Citizens Advice – 0808 800 9060
There are also grants available that could support you making bill payments.
There are around 8,000 charities and organisations in the UK that offer cash to help struggling families.
This could help with food, bills or buying essential white goods like a cooker or washing machine if you don’t have the cash to hand.
Turn2Us has a free grants search tool so you can find out what help is available to you.
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It comes as households face being offered electricity tariffs with prices that change every half hour.
“Surge pricing” on energy bills will be possible thanks to smart meters, with people paying more at peak times and less at quieter times.