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Residential Park Home owners & the Energy Bills Support Scheme

chiarieds

All households with a domestic electricity connection will be automatically eligible for the £400 grant.

However, most residential Park home owners, like myself, pay for our electricity directly to the Park site owner, who has a business account, billing ourselves quarterly after reading our meters. Some also pay the site owner for their gas, whereas others like myself pay directly for their LPG.

Unfortunately we then don't qualify, & many Park Home owners are elderly; some like myself with a disability.

You don't have to be a residential Park Home owner to sign the following petition, so if any would like to sign, it would be much appreciated. I'm not one for petitions, but this will be important to some disabled people. Thank you for reading.

The petition: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/617700

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Comments

chiarieds

Hi @woodbine - I saw this mentioned here: https://www.change.org/p/ensure-park-home-residents-receive-the-400-energy-grant?redirect=false where they actually used the word 'majority', which I changed to most.

I'm aware that you also live in a Park Home but do not pay your site owner for electricity. A neighbour came around this morning asking if my son (who also has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome) & I would sign the petition. My son & his wife are the youngest here; most are 60+ years old.

I thought to put it on here after talking to another neighbour who is our Town Mayor. Here there are 80+ Park Home residents who will be affected. Unfortunately we've seen a rise in our electricity prices since February this year, so your comment is incorrect as far as we're concerned.

From the government's website here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/energy-bills-support-scheme-explainer

''If I live in a park home, will I get the £400? Or if I pay for energy in my rent, how do I make sure my landlord passes on the reduction?

We recognise that there are certain situations where a third party will be responsible for the bill (and be named on it). In these situations, any charges should then be passed onto the end user, typically through all-inclusive rent (landlord or tenant) or ‘pitch’ charges (for example park homes).

We are exploring this issue as we continue to develop the policy and we have gathered more evidence through the consultation.''

So it seems we will have to await any possible outcome. We do not pay our electricity with our rent, rather separately.

The other monies/benefits you mention are not in question, but are totally separate from this issue. Ineligibility to this £400 is not 'annoying,' it would rather be very helpful, if not 'the end of the world;' a rather glib comment, if we don't receive it.

poppy123456

@chiarieds i've heard a lot of people complaining about this and rightly so. I signed the petition for you also.

chiarieds

Thank you @poppy123456 - this is much appreciated. I only just heard of this petition today.

chiarieds

Hi Biblioklept - the park site owner has a business account with the electricity supplier, & this scheme is just for those that have a domestic/personal account. (Even if he got £400 it wouldn't go far shared out between the 80+ park home owners on this site!)

I've emailed Rishi Sunak, but other than an automated response, have had no reply as yet.

chiarieds

Thank you very much @Biblioklept - your support is appreciated.

chiarieds

I've had a written reply from Rishi Sunak, which didn't really say more than I already know, but included a reply he'd had from Greg Hands who is the Minister directly responsible in this matter. Greg Hands states households without a domestic electricity supply contract, such as residents of Park Homes, are not eligible for the Energy Bills Support Scheme, but they are exploring options for other ways we may receive similar support. This matter was raised in a consultation, & the Government response will be published 'later in the summer.'

Meanwhile, the petition currently has 6250 votes, & the more people that vote, surely the better. Please see: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/617700

chiarieds

I did say that households without a domestic electricity contract aren't eligible. However, & I quote from Rishi's letter,

'...the Government recognises that there are certain situations where a 3rd party will be responsible for the energy bill. In these situations, any charges should then be passed onto the end user, typically through all-inclusive rent, in the case of a landlord or tenant...'

Yes, on reflection the majority of households will get this £400, but that's not what this post is about; it's that some Park Home owners may not. I'm pleased you will receive it however.

calcotti

chiarieds said:... I'm pleased you will receive it however.

I think woodbine has said before that he will not get the £400.

chiarieds

Sorry for the late reply @calcotti - woodbine has previously said he has a domestic electricity contract, so will get the £400, whereas myself & some other Park Home owners are not eligible as we pay our electricity quarterly to our Park Home owner (who has a business account).

calcotti

I’ve misremembered then - apologies.

chiarieds

The following government web page (19 Dec 2022) seems to confirm that those eligible for the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBBS) Alternative Funding will be able to apply online 'via the government’s GOV.UK pages, with the application portal due to open in January.

A dedicated customer helpline will be available to assist customers who do not have online access, with further details to be released next month.

Once customers have applied to receive support and their applications have been processed and verified, eligible customers’ details will be shared with local authorities across England, Scotland and Wales, who will deliver the one-off, non-repayable support this winter.'

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/vital-help-with-energy-bills-on-the-way-for-millions-more-homes-across-great-britain-and-northern-ireland

This page also states about the Alternative Fuel Payment (AFP),

'The vast majority of households eligible for the Alternative Fuel Payment scheme in Great Britain will receive payment automatically via their electricity supplier with no need to take any action.

For the small number of customers who are unable to receive the funding automatically, for instance households in Great Britain without a direct relationship with an electricity supplier [they] will be able to [apply] in February, through the same GOV.UK portal as the one that will be used to apply for support under the EBSS Alternative Funding scheme.'

I think that's fairly clear, & also clear that I 'might' just receive both payments before the end of winter!

chiarieds

The portal for applications for the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBBS) Alternative Funding is now open on the gov.uk website. From their website,

'You may be eligible to apply if your main home is:

a residential park home
on a boat on a permanent residential mooring
on a permanent Gypsy and Traveller site
part of a heat network without an electricity meter
in social or private rented accommodation which has a business energy connection or a communal electricity supply
off the mains electricity or gas grid
in a care home or assisted living facility and you pay for some or all of your care
in a separate domestic home within a non-domestic property (such as a farmhouse or a flat above a shop)'

You can start the application here: https://www.gov.uk/apply-energy-bill-support-if-not-automatic

poppy123456

Thanks @chiarieds good to hear they've finally opened the applications for this. I'm sure there will be a lot of people waiting to apply, yourself included.

chiarieds

And thank you poppy for your support (& also Biblioklept) in signing the petition about this. I've applied, as has my son. Will tell my neighbours & put a notice up that the application to receive this is now open as there's some 80+ affected households just in our Park Homes here.

poppy123456

You're welcome. Ah yes, how could i forget your son also needs to apply.

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