Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he is taking steps to ensure that carers who temporarily live with the person they care for and are on a low income are entitled to the Council tax rebate.

The council tax rebate was targeted at occupied properties, where energy bills are likely to be higher. There is an exemption from council tax for properties that are unoccupied because someone is living elsewhere to provide care, and these properties are not eligible for the main rebate. As part of the rebate scheme, we have however provided councils with £144 million to provide discretionary support. While it is for councils to decide how to use this funding, our guidance suggests that payments might be made to households where the energy bill payer is not liable for council tax.