12 Oct Braintree Council encouraging households to apply for discretionary funding to support with rising energy costs
Braintree District Council is encouraging households to get in touch if they believe they are eligible for a discretionary energy rebate scheme, to support them with rising energy costs.
The scheme is available to households in council tax bands E-H who have been living in the Braintree district on or before the 1st April 2022.
The government has allocated £229,200 to Braintree District Council for the discretionary scheme and households meeting the criteria will receive payments of up to £150, depending on the volume of applications. ‘Top-up’ amounts for certain households will be assessed based on the available funding.
Cllr John McKee, Cabinet Member for Finance & Corporate Transformation at Braintree District Council, said: “We’ve designed this discretionary fund to support those who need it most and we are aiming to issue payments and get this financial help out to households as quickly as possible.
“So far we have paid out over £8million to over 51,000 households as part of the government’s energy rebate schemes, and we hope this fund gives those who weren’t eligible under previous schemes vital support as the cost of living continues to rise.”
Braintree District Council is inviting applications from those households who consider that they meet the criteria for the discretionary scheme by calling 01376 557755. The scheme will close when all the available funding has been distributed or on the 30 November 2022, whichever comes first.
Details on the eligibility criteria is available online at www.braintree.gov.uk/counciltaxrebate. For those without access to the internet, they can call 01376 557755.
The Council is also encouraging residents to be wary of any council tax scams out there such as receiving text messages or emails asking to click on links. If residents are worried about any potential council tax scams they have received, they can speak to our Revenues team on 01376 557755.
