Exceptional Hardship Fund (EHF)

This fund has been set up to support our most vulnerable customers who have seen a reduction in the Government support which helped to pay their Council Tax Liability or for those who are suffering financial hardship due to unforeseen circumstances.

Exceptional Hardship Fund (EHF) support payments are set up to provide short term relief and therefore should not be seen as a long term solution to debt problems.

About the fund

Applicants will need to ensure they have taken all reasonable steps to resolve their own situation prior to application. You may already qualify for certain benefits and the following pages may contain some useful information: If you are struggling to pay your Council Tax and other bills please visit:

Housing Benefit

Local Council Tax Support (LCTS)

Main features of the fund

• EHF payments are discretionary
• Customers do not have a statutory right to a payment
• The Revenue Service will administer the fund
• We will consider awarding the fund from the date of application but not prior to the 1 April 2013
• It is outside the main Council Tax Support Scheme and is not a payment of Council Tax Support
• Awards from the fund are made to the applicants Council Tax account and are not a monetary payment

 More information is available in our Council Tax Support Exceptional Hardship Policy (PDF, 165 KB).

Eligibility

Anyone who has recently faced, or is going through, unexpected changes to their circumstances which is causing financial hardship.

Examples of applications or households who may potentially be awarded help from the fund are (this list is not exhaustive):

• Recently bereaved and income disrupted due to suspension of other benefits
• Those who have left care or under 25 years old and unable to live at home
• Recovering from a serious illness and unable to contribute to the household income
• Lone parents with children under the age of 5 in the household
• Other exceptional circumstances that have placed the applicant in unexpected financial hardship

Criteria

The council in assessing your application will be looking at the following criteria:

• The applicant or household is facing severe financial hardship
• The applicant will have already taken steps to access other advice and support from independent agencies such as the Citizens Advice or Step Change
• The applicant must have explored potential changes in payment methods and instalment plans for their Council Tax and Utility Bills to assist their financial situation
• The applicant or household must not have access to any other financial assets that could be realised to pay the Council Tax; e.g. other properties, land, stocks/shares/bonds
• The applicant or household must not be avoiding or refusing to pay their Council Tax. The Council Tax due must not be the result of an overpayment due to fraud or a resulting penalty

Apply

You will have to complete an application form to apply for help from the fund and provide documents to support your application.  These will include the last two months bank statements for all accounts held or that you have access to and any other documents relevant to your claim (such as doctors letters etc.).

Exceptional Hardship Fund application form (PDF, 751 KB)

You can send your completed form and any supporting evidence by email or post to us. 

• Email: recovery@uttlesford.gov.uk
• Post: Uttlesford District Council, Council Offices, London Road, Saffron Walden, CB11 4ER

If you are not able to access the form via the above link, or would prefer a paper form, please contact us on 01799 510510 or via email to recovery@uttlesford.gov.uk.

If you are struggling to complete the form and have no one who can assist you at home, please contact us and we will arrange for a phone appointment with an officer to complete it with you. Supporting documents will still need to be sent to us either by email or post.

When contacting us via email always provide your full name and address so we can locate your account.

Evidence required

When you make a claim for help from the Exceptional Hardship Fund you will need to submit supporting evidence.

Photographs or screenshots of documents are accepted by email, please ensure pictures are clear and all details can be read. Alternatively, you can bring the originals to the council offices where we will take copies and return the documents to you immediately.

If you are unable to provide the requested evidence at the time of submitting the completed application form please confirm the reason for the delay and when you will be sending them to us.

Below are some examples of acceptable documents to support your application.

Evidence of bank accounts, savings, investments and property

Acceptable evidence would be letters from your bank, building society or post office books, full bank statements, or certificates for premium bonds, National savings Certificates, ISAs Tessas, stocks and unit trusts. The evidence you send must show details for at least the last 2 months, even if the balance is overdrawn.

If you have savings you will need to provide details of why these cannot be accessed to help your financial situation.

Evidence of benefits, allowances, tax credits, pension credits or pensions, for you, your partner and any other adults resident in your home

Acceptable evidence would be a current award notices or letters from the Department for Work and Pensions or HMRC confirming how much you get. 

Evidence of financial hardship faced

Acceptable evidence examples are letters from debt collection agencies, credit card or loan statements, court orders or judgements, Bankruptcy, Involuntary Arrangement or Debt Relief Order paperwork, bills from utility providers or any notices in relation to rent or mortgage arrears.

If you have come to repayment plans with any creditors please provide us with details of the arrangement, confirming the repayment amount, frequency and end date.

We will also accept letters and financial statements from organisations such as Citizens Advice or Step Change if they are assisting you.

Evidence of health conditions

We will also take into consideration letters from doctors or support agencies that give further insight into your situation should you wish to share this with us.

What happens next

The amount awarded will be determined by the council and will be based on the evidence supplied in the application form, supporting documents and your individual household circumstances.

We will notify you of the outcome of each application for Exceptional Hardship Fund (EHF) payments in writing within 21 working days, on the provision that all satisfactory information requested has been received. In cases where further information or documentation is required you will be notified of this in writing and a deadline to provide the information by will be given.

Appealing a decision

You may request that your application is reconsidered if you are unhappy with the council's decision. All requests for reconsideration must be made within one calendar month of the original decision notice being issued and will be reconsidered by the Principal Officer. The outcome of your request will be made in writing, detailing the decision and reasons for it. After this, if you still feel the council's decision is wrong you can appeal to the local Valuation Tribunal. This is an independent organisation that deals with Council Tax appeals.

To appeal you must contact the Valuation Tribunal(opens new window) within:

• two months of the council advising of its decision, or
• four months from when you first wrote to us, if you have heard nothing from us