Flintshire pledges direct contact with eligible households over £100 payment

Flintshire County Council has said it will get in touch with residents eligible for a £100 energy bill payment when the money becomes available, which is expected in the new year. The council said nearly 50,000 households in the county are eligible¹.

The payment was announced by the UK Government last week: a one-off £100 sum for households in Council Tax bands A to D, described by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, John Healey, as help to ease the pressure of rising energy bills¹. In England the money will be paid automatically to homeowners in January. In Wales, residents had to wait for the devolved Welsh Government to confirm that the "consequential" money it receives from the UK Government would be passed on. A consequential payment is where the UK Government gives the Senedd a sum equal to the value of delivering a scheme to all eligible claimants in Wales. The Senedd has now confirmed it will pass the payment on to households¹.

Flintshire's Chief Officer (Governance), Gareth Owen, set out the position on numbers and timing:

"There are 49,706 households in Flintshire in bands A-D, though not all of them will be occupied at the time the payments are made."

The council said it is awaiting further details and guidance from the Welsh Government on how the scheme will be administered, including payment arrangements and timescales. It asked residents not to contact the council at this stage, saying eligible households will be contacted once further information is received, with updates also shared on its website and social media channels¹. Council leader Cllr Dave Hughes welcomed the announcement and said the authority would work to ensure eligible residents receive the support as quickly as possible once detailed guidance arrives¹.

The Welsh Government's own guidance on how the scheme will run in Wales, including whether payments will be made automatically or by application, has not been reported. The treatment of second homes and properties empty at the time of payment has also not been reported; the Flintshire figure of 49,706 covers households in bands A to D, and the council notes not all will be occupied when payments are made¹.

Why it matters for households

A £100 payment is a fixed sum, so its value to a household does not change with the size of the bill. For homes in bands A to D it is a direct contribution towards winter energy costs, and in Flintshire it is expected to reach eligible households without an application, on the council's account. Because the money is being routed through the Welsh Government's consequential funding rather than paid on the same timetable as England, the timing in Wales depends on guidance that has not yet been published. Households in Wales looking at council and local authority energy grants will find that locally administered schemes of this kind typically depend on the council receiving detailed rules before any payment date can be set. For homes without a mains gas connection, the payment sits alongside the separate rural heating support routes covered in energy grants for off-gas-grid homes, and for older households it comes on top of the winter payments set out in energy grants and payments for pensioners. Whether the £100 can be held alongside other support, and in what order, is covered in can you combine energy grants.

What happens next

Flintshire expects the money in the new year and will contact eligible households when it arrives. The council is waiting for detailed guidance from the Welsh Government on administration, payment arrangements and timescales, and says residents do not need to contact it at this stage¹.

Sources1 sources

1. Nearly 50,000 households to be contacted over £100 energy bill payment, nation.cymru