To approve the Energy Rebate Discretionary Fund scheme and the criteria for the allocation of the funding.

The cabinet member finance, corporate services and planning introduced the report and explained that it set out how the council proposed to distribute the discretionary element of the funding to households who did not qualify for the main scheme.

Group leaders and representatives gave the comments and queries of their groups. It was noted that:

·       Those who lived in properties with higher tax bands did not always have higher levels of disposable income so it was right to offer support;

·       A communications plan would be in place to raise awareness of how to benefit from this scheme, including among those without online access;

·       Recent announcements from the government would provide further support but the detail had not yet been received.

It was resolved that:

a)             The Energy Rebate Discretionary Fund scheme and the criteria for the allocation of the funding is approved; and

b)             That all operational and budgetary decisions regarding this scheme be delegated to the director of resources and assurance.