Local Authorities (Listed Below) ECO4 Flexible Eligibility Statement of Intent

Local Authority names:
East Sussex County Council, Eastbourne Borough Council, Hastings Borough Council, Lewes District Council, Rother District Council, Wealden District Council.
Publication Date: XX/XX/2023
Version number: V.2
Publication on web site:
www.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk
www.hastings.gov.uk
www.rother.gov.uk
www.wealden.gov.uk
www.eastsussex.gov.uk

This statement sets out the above the East Sussex’s Council’s flexible eligibility criteria for the Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) scheme which run until March 2026.

The ECO4 scheme will focus on supporting low income and vulnerable households. The scheme will improve the least energy efficient homes helping to meet the Government’s fuel poverty and net zero commitments.

The flexible approach for Local Authorities (LAs) to identifying fuel poor and vulnerable households who may benefit from heating and energy saving measures is referred to as “ECO4 Flex”.

The Council is publishing this Statement of Intent (SoI), on the to confirm that each of the households declared will adhere to at least one of the four available routes outlined below. The tick boxes can be used to indicate to households which routes the council is using:

Please use the tick boxes to indicate which routes are being used by the LA / DA

Route 1: Owner-occupied and private rented sector households with a gross annual income less than £31,000. This cap applies irrespective of the property size, composition, or region.

Route 2: Owner-occupied and private rented sector households that meet a combination of two of the following proxies:

Proxy 1) Homes in England in Lower-layer Super Output Area 1-3 (LSOA) , or homes in Welsh provision LSOA 1-3 on the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation 2019 , or homes in Scotland in “data zone” 1-3 on the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2020 *

Proxy 2) A person living at the premises is entitled to a Council Tax reduction on the grounds of low-income.

Proxy 3) A person living at the premises is considered to be vulnerable to the cold under the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Guidance NG6: Recommendation 2, for a reason other than their low-income *

Proxy 4) A child living at the premises is eligible for free school meals, due to low-income

Proxy 5) A person living at the premises is supported by a scheme established by the LA/DA that is named and described within their Statement of Intent and established to support people living on a low-income and considered vulnerable to the cold under NICE Guideline NG6.

A householder supported by the East Sussex Warm Home Check service (www.eastsussex.gov.uk/keepwarm) which supports low income and vulnerable households to keep warm and well at home (a single‑point‑of‑contact health and housing referral service for East Sussex residents, as described in NICE Guideline NG6).

During a full Warm Home Check service for a household, evidence relating to income levels and vulnerability to the cold as defined in NICE Guidance NG6 will be obtained. Income evidence includes bank statements, benefits letters and payslips, while vulnerability to the cold evidence includes medical letters, benefits letters and acceptable proof of age documentation. The findings of this will then be shared with the Councils’ responsible officer for verifying any associated evidence submitted.

Proxy 6) A household referred to the LA for support by their energy supplier or Citizens Advice or Citizens Advice Scotland, because they have been identified as struggling to pay their electricity and/or gas bills.

Proxy 7) [Please note, proxy 7 is for supplier owned debt data and is listed here for information only]. Households identified through energy supplier debt data. This route enables obligated suppliers to use their own debt data to identify either non pre-payment meter households (non-PPM), or pre-payment meter households (PPM).

a. Non-PPM customers: These are customers who have been in debt for more than 13 weeks ending with the day on which the declaration is made, and are in a debt repayment plan with their energy supplier or repaying their fuel debt through 3rd party deductions.

b. PPM customers: Suppliers may also identify PPM households who: • have either self-disconnected or received supplier Discretionary/Friendly credit within the last 13 weeks ending with the day on which the declaration is made; or • are in a debt repayment plan with their energy supplier; or • repaying their fuel debt through 3rd party deductions.

• Note proxies 1 and 3 cannot be used together.
• Proxy 7 cannot be used in combination with proxy 5 or proxy 6.

Route 3: Owner-occupied and private rented sector households that have been identified by either a person registered in the General Practitioner Register, a Scottish Health Board, a Welsh Health Board, an NHS Foundation Trust, or an NHS Trust as vulnerable, with an occupant whose health conditions may be adversely affected by living in a cold home. These health conditions must be cardiovascular, respiratory, immunosuppressed, or limited mobility related.

Route 4 [applicable to ECO4 Flex only]: Owner-occupied and private rented sector households that are referred under Route 4: Bespoke Targeting. Suppliers and LAs can submit an application to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero where they have identified new methods to identify low-income and vulnerable households. Applications need to demonstrate a number of factors, including that the proposed methodology is more effective at identify households in fuel poverty than the criterion offered under Routes 1 and 2.

Scheme eligibility

All potentially eligible households should apply through Hastings Borough Council or one of their approved ECO Scheme installers, if a list of approved installers is available, to see if they can either benefit from the scheme or be assessed for eligibility under any other relevant programme.

An LA officer (not a 3rd party working on behalf of an LA) will be responsible for checking, and verifying evidence, and issuing declarations. For any general enquiries relating to this SoI please contact:

Name: Sharon Irving
Job Title: Housing Licensing Support Officer
Telephone: 01424 451031
Email: fuelpoverty@hastings.gov.uk

CEO or dedicated responsible person mandatory signature.

The Hastings Borough Council will administer the ECO4 Flex scheme according to the Electricity and Gas (Energy Company Obligation) Order 2022 (ECO4 Order).

The CEO/ dedicated responsible person of the Council will oversee the process of identifying eligible households under ECO Flex Scheme Flex. The Council will notify Ofgem of households that declarations have been issued for via the declaration notification template.

All personal data collected or processed by Hastings Borough Council for the purposes of ECO4 Flex will be processed and stored in accordance with: the Council’s obligations under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, the Council’s data protection policy, the Information Commissioner’s Office Data Sharing Code and other guidance, and Department for Energy Security and Net Zero guidance.

Signature: XXXXXX
Name: Jane Hartnell
Job Title: Chief Executive – Hastings Borough Council
Date of signature: XX/XX/XXXX

Signature: XXXXXX
Name: Darren Gale
Job Title: Director of Public Health, East Sussex County Council
Date of signature: XX/XX/XXXX

Signature: XXXXXX
Name: Ian Fitzpatrick
Job Title: Deputy Chief Executive, Eastbourne, and Lewes Councils
Date of signature: XX/XX/XXXX

Signature: Richard Parker-Harding XXXXXX
Name: Richard Parker-Harding
Job Title: Head of Service, Rother District Council
Date of signature: 25/09/23XX/XX/XXXX

Signature: XXXXXX
Name: Trevor Scott
Job Title: Chief Executive, Wealden District Council
Date of signature: XX/XX/XXXX

For any general enquires relating to this SoI, please contact fuelpoverty@hastings.gov.uk