Living on a boat and Energy Bill Support Scheme

Clogs_in_UK

Hi,

I wonder if anyone can shed some light on the status of the Energy Bill Support Scheme for those households that don't have a contract with a supplier. This can be people with coin or card meters, boaters, caravanners, etc. Many of those wonder if they actually will receive money via the Scheme. 

Our situation is that we live on a boat, permanently, in a non-residential marina. The only facilities we have is water and an electricity point (a sub-meter) that works with pre-payment cards. These cards are issued by the owner of the marina (a company), after they have received the money that we want them to put on our card.

When we take the boat out, we can use the card in another electricity pole.

The marina doesn't have an official address and therefore no postbox. Royal Mail cannot deliver letters, etc. As non-residential boaters we pay no council tax. We all have a residential address elsewhere for our mail, driving licence, etc.

We are a household and use electricity like the many households who have a contract with a supplier. The latter receive Energy Support automatically via their energy supplier.

Non-residential boaters would also like to benefit from the Energy Bill Support Scheme. The problem is that we have no idea if and when we will get it or how to apply for it.

On the relevant government's website one can read:

"Energy Bill Support Scheme Alternative Funding

This scheme is intended to provide the £400 of support for households across the UK that would otherwise miss out on the Energy Bills Support Scheme as they do not have a domestic electricity contract."

It then reads that an announcement will be made on the Alternative Funding in due course and that the funding will be delivered through designated bodies.

Many eligible boaters we know receive winter fuel allowance. They are obviously in the government's support system. That may be reassuring but the government probably doesn't know how we pay for energy.

This leads to some questions:

1. How does the government know who is eligible for Alternative Funding and how will the government find and contact them?

2. Non-residential boaters who are self-supporting, i.e. not on any type of benefit, are probably under not known to any council. How can the government find those who are eligible?

3. How can one apply for Alternative Funding, in case the government was unable to find someone to offer this support?

4. Can not having to pay council tax be a reason (an excuse) for a designated body (a Council) to not pay out Alternative Funding?

5. How can non-residential boaters register with the government as a household to benefit from future support.

I am asking a lot, sorry for that. Hopefully, someone on this Forum has had an opportunity to find out a bit more about this issue.

Thanks for any feedback.

[Deleted User]

Clogs_in_UK said:

It then reads that an announcement will be made on the Alternative Funding in due course and that the funding will be delivered through designated bodies.

And that is the last that we have heard.  Apart from the extra support for people without mains gas, which it turns out is going to come through the domestic electricity account as well.

Spoonie_Turtle

Clogs_in_UK said:

Our situation is that we live on a boat, permanently, in a non-residential marina.

…

The marina doesn't have an official address and therefore no postbox. Royal Mail cannot deliver letters, etc. As non-residential boaters we pay no council tax. We all have a residential address elsewhere for our mail, driving licence, etc.

We are a household and use electricity like the many households who have a contract with a supplier. The latter receive Energy Support automatically via their energy supplier.

I don't think you can have it both ways.  Either you're a residential household or you're not.  We've had this come up in a thread about somebody living permanently in a holiday park.  Everything official says you're not a residential household.
But that's irrelevant here really, the simple reason you don't qualify for the currently running scheme is because you don't have a domestic account with an energy supplier, which you know.

There are many others who are definitely in residential properties, paying council tax etc., who have also fallen through the cracks because either their landlord is resupplying their energy (most likely on a commercial contract), their supply is managed by a third party, or some other complication.

Many eligible boaters we know receive winter fuel allowance. They are obviously in the government's support system. That may be reassuring but the government probably doesn't know how we pay for energy.

Those will be in the system because they claim State Pension, and the WFP is sent to bank accounts not via energy suppliers.


At the moment as Deleted_User says, there's no apparent information other than what you've already found.  I suspect the answer to all 5 of your questions right now is, 'we don't know'.  (I'd be delighted to be proven wrong there, it would be helpful for so many people if there actually were any further information available.)

Clogs_in_UK

I was curious to know what people's reaction was. I agree with you that you cannot have it both ways. Not paying council tax - rightly so as we don't benefit from the council's services - and then expecting to benefit from the the Scheme is, in my opinion incorrect. 
By the way, for the record, the Scheme is for all household, not specifically residential households. That, however, doesn't change my opinion about not having it both ways.

MattMattMattUK

Clogs_in_UK said:

I was curious to know what people's reaction was. I agree with you that you cannot have it both ways. Not paying council tax - rightly so as we don't benefit from the council's services - and then expecting to benefit from the the Scheme is, in my opinion incorrect. 

Do you never use a road? Are you not protected by police? Apart from that Council Tax is not really reflective of usage, but a contribution to local society. I do not use my local council's services beyond roads and policing (private bin collections due to living in flats), but I still understand why I contribute towards things like children's services. 

Clogs_in_UK said:

By the way, for the record, the Scheme is for all household, not specifically residential households. That, however, doesn't change my opinion about not having it both ways.

I am not sure that there is a difference in law between residential and non-residential households in the way you seem to believe. You say you have a residential address elsewhere, which will be the property that would be eligible for the support. I have a friend who has a residential property and also a boat with a permanent mooring on the Thames, his residence is entitled to support, his boat in the Thames is not.