More than £5million has been paid out to 75 per cent of the eligible East Devon residents, living in an A, B, C or D band property.

The first phase of the £150 council tax (energy) rebate was rolled out in April – seeing payments made to more than 34,000 direct debit holders.

The second phase of the projects will see letters sent to all other eligible residents from next week (beginning Monday, 9 May).

An online claim will soon go live allowing all residents who do not pay their council tax by direct debit, including those whose bank details EDDC was not able to verify, to claim their rebate.

Residents will need to meet the following conditions, as of 1 April 2022, to apply:

  • Their property is banded A-D or band E with a disablement reduction
  • They are liable to pay council tax at the address
  • The property is their sole or main residence

In order to safeguard against fraudulent claims residents will need their council tax account number, which can be found on the top of a council tax bill, along with the unique access code that will be in their letter.

If you have lost your council tax bill you can request a copy through EDDC’s website as this cannot be provided over the phone.

EDDC will have more than 12,000 claims to process so has asked residents to check the EDDC website to get the latest information including FAQ’s and to report any changes before calling.

The council has also asked anyone who can go online to do so, so officers can keep phone lines free to help vulnerable residents.

Councillor Jack Rowland, EDDC’s portfolio holder for finance, said:

The council has been working hard to set up the Energy Rebate Scheme in order to get this payment to eligible households as we know how important this money is for those struggling with the increase in energy costs.

From next week we are prioritising those residents who will need to provide their bank account details through a simple online claim form so that we can validate these details to make the £150 payment.