RESOLVED that an addendum to the Discretionary Energy Rebate Scheme under the eligibility criteria be approved as follows:
The fund can also be used to give an award to any pensioners who are in receipt of Council Tax Support without the need for an application process. This will result in 2,000 awards of £55, to each pensioner.
Reason:
Waverley has been allocated discretionary funding of £216,600 to support those suffering financial hardship as a result of the rising energy cost. In the event of an overspend, no additional funding will be provided from government. Therefore, the discretionary scheme criteria was set to support the most vulnerable that has not had a payment from the main scheme. The remaining funding can now be targeted to pensioners as a small topup without the need for an application process.
The scheme is widely published and available on the Waverley website. It is promoted by officers from Council Tax, Benefits, Housing, Communication and by local charities and councillors.
[This decision was taken under urgency procedures and is therefore not subject to call-in]