ThatFragranceGuy
Well-known member
Basing it on the fact that no matter what council at band we are in, energy bills have gone from £671.25 a year in 2021 to £3700 a year in 2022, then to £2500 for 6 months then back to £3000 in April 2023 meanwhile inflation is about 10% and our mortgage rate in February is likely to increase our payments by £500 a month. Meanwhile I've had a private sector real terms cost of living pay cut, and my partner who works at an NHS nurse is having to strike to get a fair pay deal as she can't spent claps. It's December in 3 days and we've had the heating on for 6 hours this year.The guy said that people who own 4 bedroom house aren’t struggling to eat and you replied “of course they do”. Just wondering if you were basing that on your own experience.
Yet people in a house worth the same or more than ours will get this government support (on top of the extra £150 council tax payment already) so while you've edited out the part of your post saying "should people living in a 200k+ house get government support or should it be targeted elsewhere?", that is my point exactly because people living in a 200k house will get that support whilst others in a 200k house won't because an arbitrary line is drawn in the sand to say you either get that support or you get no support with improving your household energy efficiency. In fact the house next door to ours, is actually band C, but is larger. Are you saying the cost of living crisis is accurately divided by council tax banding?
My comment wasn't relating to us however, but there will definitely be people living in 4 bed detached houses that are struggling to eat because council tax banding is out of date and very inconsistent. Because you bought a house with 200k to get out of a bad area like we did, doesn't imply in any way that you don't need this support because your disposable income has most likely been wiped out by government decisions, energy bills, inflation, increased mortgage payments and many other things.