Thousands of people in Sefton could receive extra money to deal with the cost of living crisis under plans revealed today.
An extra £20 on top of the £150 rebate already paid out will be made available as part of a £700,000 discretionary cost of living fund Sefton Council will soon be distributing to residents across the borough.
The £150 rebate scheme is now drawing to a close, with Sefton Council saying that nearly 10,000 households in the borough who have yet to have applied or responded to council letters will receive a credit on their council tax bills instead.
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Announcing the council’s discretionary payment plans, a Sefton Council spokesperson said: “As the statutory phase of the Energy Rebate Scheme draws to a close, Sefton Council is already looking ahead at discretionary funding.
“Over £700,000 is available to the Council to allocate to Sefton households that are in need, as well as those that do not fall into the Council Tax bands A to D category.
“Discretionary payments are planned on specific groups and the Council is aiming to minimise the need for any registration procedure to help ensure payments can be sent as soon as possible.
“This included groups such as those who already receive means-tested Council Tax Reduction. This would remove the need for an application procedure as the Council is already aware of their financial circumstances.”
People in council tax bands A to D will receive an additional £20 on top of the statutory £150 already paid. Those who have a council tax exemption due to severe mental impairment will receive a further £170.
People in bands E to H who already receive a means-tested reduction in their council tax bill will also receive £170.
The spokesperson said that letters will be sent out to those in bands E to H who don’t pay by direct debit in order to make payments directly into people’s accounts.
Other groups due to get additional payments include families with children in receipt of council tax deduction, who will receive £20 for those with up to two children and £20 for those with three or more.
Provision for people who otherwise fall through the gaps, including housing providers, charities, non-residential owners and those for whom council tax responsibilities lies elsewhere will also be offered help under the discretionary scheme.
Sefton Council cabinet member for Regulatory Compliance and Corporate Service Cllr Paulette Lappin said: “With more and more local people facing increasing financial pressures, Sefton Council wants to make sure it gets these discretionary payments out to them as quickly as possible.
“Most of them we can pay automatically, but there is a small number in the Band E to H Council Tax-payer group who we are writing to, asking them to respond within two weeks.
“If we don’t hear from them, the money will be credited to their Council Tax accounts.”
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