Eltham Borough Council Votes in Council Tax Rebate to Cap Household Energy Costs

The Eltham Borough Council approved a new household rebate scheme on 7 July that delivers a flat £150 payment to every council-tax paying address to offset energy bills for the remainder of 2026.

The decision follows publication of the council’s quarterly budget monitoring report, which recorded a £4.2 million surplus after lower-than-expected winter maintenance costs. National energy price forecasts published by the Office for Budget Responsibility in June projected a further 7 per cent rise in average household gas and electricity tariffs between July and December.

Effect on weekly spending in Eltham wards

Residents in the High Street and Well Hall wards, where average annual council tax is £1,920, will see the rebate arrive as a credit on their October council-tax instalment. A family using the standard direct-debit plan will therefore pay £12.50 less each month for the final four months of the financial year. Local food-bank operators have recorded a 19 per cent increase in referrals for energy-related debt since January, according to the council’s social-care dashboard.

Households in receipt of council-tax reduction already receive an automatic top-up of the same £150 amount, bringing the total support to £300 for the lowest-income band. The scheme covers 47,800 residential properties across the borough.

Payment timetable and remaining funds

Council finance officers have stated that the remaining £1.1 million of the surplus will be held in a contingency reserve for emergency winter grants if temperatures fall below seasonal norms. First payments are scheduled to reach bank accounts or council-tax accounts on 3 August. Any unspent contingency will be reported in the October budget review and may be rolled into the 2027-28 rates-setting process.