£150 Cost of Living Award Details

53,000 households have been identified as eligible for the additional support for low-income households as announced in the 2022-23 Scottish Budget. £150 has been credited to each identified households 2022/23 Council Tax account, making the total support provided within Dumfries and Galloway around £8million.

If you are eligible the payment will show on your annual 2022/23 Council Tax bill, which will reach you on or around 17 March. Further information in relation to the payment is available online at www.dumgal.gov.uk/colp

The Cost-of-Living award is based on circumstances as of 14 February 2022 and is provided to: -

• A person who lives in a dwelling in any Council Tax valuation band A-H, is liable for Council Tax and is in receipt of Council Tax Reduction (Benefit)
• All persons who live in and is liable for Council Tax for a Band A-D dwelling;
• Certain categories of person living in a property exempt from Council Tax such as:

• All occupants under 18
• All occupants care leavers
• All occupants severely mentally impaired
• Property unoccupied because the resident has gone to someone else’s home to provide care, or the resident receives care elsewhere.

The overriding objective of the Scottish Government is that the award is made to all eligible households before the end of April this year.In order to meet this, The award has been credited to Council Tax bills. No award is to be made for empty or second homes, and only one payment per dwelling will be made.

Communities Committee Chairman, Cllr Andy Ferguson said:

“This payment will go to 53,000 homes across our region and will give those households £150 off their Council Tax bill. The speed the small but hugely dedicated team has worked at to process this payment is extremely commendable and I would like to place on record my thanks to them. Hopefully the £150 credit to Council Tax bills will be of some use to those who are receiving it.”

Vice Chairman of the Communities Committee, Cllr John Martin added:

“It’s important to note why the payment has been made this way. Many people will be asking ‘why can’t we just have cash?’ and that’s a reasonable question. The cost of processing a cheque or payment to over 50,000 households would be enormous to the Council, but making the payment this way, in line with the vast majority of other Council’s in Scotland, allows us to process it quicker and more efficiently.”