Council Cost of Living Award information

ELIGIBLE Inverclyde residents will receive two Cost of Living Awards, including a one-off £350 payment from Inverclyde Council. 

The grant from the local authority will be paid into people's bank accounts while the Scottish Government's £150 award will come off Council Tax bills for next year. 

Below are details about who is eligible and what they need to do:

Inverclyde Council - Cost of Living Award - £350

Inverclyde Council agreed as part of the 2022/23 council budget additional support of £3m to low income families and a further £500,000 met from the council’s share of Scottish Government funding towards supporting recovery from Covid-19.  A one-off payment of £350 will be made to almost 10,000 households in Inverclyde who at 24 February 2022 were in receipt of Council Tax reduction and certain households exempt from paying Council Tax, including those occupied exclusively by students.

Payment and Delivery

Those who qualify should expect a letter about the award by the end of March 2022.  People who pay Council Tax by direct debit or who received a Covid related payment in the last year will be asked to accept the payment to their bank account.  Payments are scheduled to be made by 29th April.

Others will be asked to apply on line with a copy or photograph of their bank statement by 15th April to receive their payment by 29th April.  Applying online is the fastest way to receive the award.  The Cost of Living Application Form can be found on this webpage.

If applying online is not possible, the application form on the reverse of the letter should be completed and returned to the Council with a copy of a bank statement.  If the application is not made by 9th May the award will be credited to the 2022/23 Council Tax account by no later than the start of June 2022.   

In certain circumstances, persons living in dwellings exempt from Council Tax will be eligible for the £350 Cost of Living award. Specifically, persons living in dwellings where:

  • all the occupants are under 18;
  • all the occupants are care leavers;
  • all the occupants are students;
  • all the occupants are severely mentally impaired;
  • the property is unoccupied because the resident has gone to someone else's home to provide care or the resident receives care elsewhere.

 

Scottish Government - Cost of Living Award - £150

A Cost of Living Award was announced as part of the 2022-23 Scottish Budget announcement on 10 February 2022.  It is an additional support for low income households to help tackle the cost of living crisis. The Cost of Living Award is for £150 and will be provided to either:

  • A person who lives in a dwelling in any Council Tax valuation band, is liable for Council Tax and is in receipt of Council Tax Reduction (CTR);
  • A person who lives in and is liable for council tax for a council tax Band A-D dwelling and does not receive Council Tax Reduction;
  • Certain categories of person living in a property exempt from Council Tax.

In certain circumstances, persons living in dwellings exempt from Council Tax will be eligible for the £150 Cost of Living award. Specifically, persons living in dwellings where:

  • all the occupants are under 18;
  • all the occupants are care leavers;
  • all the occupants are severely mentally impaired;
  • the property is unoccupied because the resident has gone to someone else's home to provide care or the resident receives care elsewhere.

Only one payment will be made in relation to any single dwelling. In cases of joint and several liability, payment will be made to the first named person on the Council Tax bill. Where this is not possible, local authorities have discretion to identify the most appropriate person to whom this payment should be made.

Additionally, persons accessing Housing Support Service and/or living in temporary accommodation or a refuge may be eligible for payment under this scheme.

Payment and Delivery              

The Scottish Government’s overriding objective is for the award to be made to eligible households before the end of April 2022.  Local Authorities have discretion over the method used to make direct payments.  Inverclyde Council’s administrative systems can facilitate payments being made as a credit to the council tax accounts of eligible persons so in line with the majority of councils in Scotland, a payment will be made to the 2022/23 account.  The result will be a reduction in monthly instalments or for those whose accounts are placed into credit, a refund can be requested by contacting the service directly by email or through the Customer Service Centre. 

For further information and for help and support, visit www.inverclyde.gov.uk/costofliving.