The Cabinet Member for Citizen Focused Services, on 21 April 2022, resolved to:

1.        Approve the Covid Additional Relief Fund at paragraphs 18 – 35 of the report; and

2.        Delegate authority to the Head of Financial Services to determine applications in accordance with the scheme and in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Citizen Focused Services to determine the final model to be used from those shown in Table 1 once all applications have been received.

The Cabinet Member for Citizen Focused Services, on 1 June 2022, resolved to:

1.             Approve the Council Tax Rebate Discretionary Scheme; and

2.             Delegate authority to the Head of Financial Services to implement the Energy Payment Discretionary Scheme in accordance with paragraph 5 of the report.

To approve the Council Tax Rebate Discretionary Scheme and to delegate authority to the Head of Financial Services to implement the discretionary scheme in accordance with the officer report.

The decision enables the Council to implement the Council Tax Rebate Discretionary Scheme announced by the Government for households that are not entitled to the £150 energy bills rebate.  A council can use the discretionary fund to offer carefully targeted “top up” payments to the most vulnerable households in Council Tax bands A to D.

Not approving the scheme would result in additional financial support being unavailable for local households.

Decision taken by Councillor Nigel Chapman, Cabinet Member for Citizen Focused Services.