District Council urges residents to apply for the £400 Government’s energy bill support scheme discount before time runs out

Those people who don’t have a direct relationship with their power suppliers need to apply for the support via the Government website before 31 May 2023.

The government website where residents can check their eligibility can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/apply-energy-bill-support-if-not-automatic. Details on how to check and to apply for the scheme are given on the website.

People who live in park homes, care homes, on a permanent Gypsy and Traveller site or on houseboats, for example, who don’t have a domestic electricity meter or contract with an energy supplier may be eligible for support and not realise that they need to apply to get it.

“The Government support offered by this scheme is very welcome, and we have already seen many residents successfully apply for the discount. We are concerned though, that there are still significant numbers of residents who are eligible but who haven’t applied yet,” explains Suzanne Shead, Director of Housing Health and Wellbeing at Newark and Sherwood District Council, “for example, someone in a care home may not even realise that they could benefit from the payment. However, if they pay their own care home fees and don’t get a bill from their energy company they could be eligible for the payment. We urge any resident who thinks they may be due the payment to check on the website and apply before the deadline of 31 May.”

Residents without access to the internet or who need help with their application can call the Government helpline 0808 1753 287, Monday to Friday between 8am and 6pm.

For the payments to be made through this scheme, residents will need to supply their bank account details through the secure portal. However, customers are reminded that the Government will never contact residents directly to ask for bank details and we urge all our residents to be wary of potential scams.