About 77,630 Redbridge homes, 71%, are in bands A to D and get the Budget's £100 energy payment from January. In Wanstead and Clayhall most homes miss out.
About 77,630 Redbridge households will get the new £100 Household Energy Payment, the council says. Seven in ten homes in the borough qualify.
The Chancellor announced the payment in the Budget on Wednesday 28 October. It goes to households in council tax bands A to D in England, and payments start in January 2027, the Government says.
Council leader Kam Rai gave the Redbridge figure in his Friday update on 30 October. He wrote that “77,630 households in council tax bands A to D will receive a £100 payment directly into their bank accounts”.
That matches the Valuation Office Agency’s count of homes in each band at 31 March 2026. It puts 77,640 of Redbridge’s 108,740 homes in bands A to D, or 71.4%. The VOA rounds each band to the nearest 10, which explains the small gap.
That leaves about 31,100 Redbridge homes in bands E to H, which get nothing from the main scheme.
How Redbridge compares
Redbridge sits 16th of the 33 London council areas on this measure, just above London as a whole (69.3%) and well below England (80.8%).
It is the lowest of the five east London boroughs around it. In Barking and Dagenham, 97.3% of homes are in bands A to D. Newham is at 92.5%, Waltham Forest 90.4% and Havering 75.8%.
Band D is the biggest single band in Redbridge, with 32,410 homes. Band C has 28,190, band B 14,240 and band A just 2,800. Band E, which misses out, has 19,720.
A Band D household in Redbridge pays £2,294.58 in council tax this year, so the £100 is about 4.4% of that bill. On a Band A bill of £1,529.72 it is about 6.5%. Our council tax page has every band.
A borough split down the middle
The same VOA table breaks Redbridge into 33 neighbourhoods, and the gap between them is wide.
In the south and east of the borough, almost every home qualifies. In parts of Wanstead, Woodford and Clayhall, most homes do not.
Where the most homes qualify:
| Neighbourhood | Homes in bands A to D | All homes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ilford Central & East | 2,750 | 2,770 | 99.3% |
| Ilford South West | 3,890 | 3,940 | 98.7% |
| Loxford Park | 2,200 | 2,240 | 98.2% |
| Chadwell Heath South West | 2,530 | 2,630 | 96.2% |
| Hainault West | 2,350 | 2,540 | 92.5% |
Where the fewest homes qualify:
| Neighbourhood | Homes in bands A to D | All homes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wanstead Flats | 1,090 | 2,410 | 45.2% |
| Woodford Wells | 1,620 | 4,560 | 35.5% |
| Wanstead | 780 | 2,290 | 34.1% |
| Barkingside West | 710 | 2,200 | 32.3% |
| Clayhall South | 950 | 4,170 | 22.8% |
The neighbourhoods are the House of Commons Library’s names for the ONS middle layer areas. Clayhall South has the most homes outside bands A to D of any Redbridge neighbourhood, at 3,220. Woodford Wells is next, with 2,940.
Band is set by what a home was worth in April 1991, not by what its occupants earn. So a large share of homes in bands E and above does not mean every household there is comfortable, which is why the discretionary fund below matters.
Who gets it
The Government’s guidance says a household qualifies if it is liable for council tax on a band A to D property and lives there as its main home. It says:
- most households that are exempt from council tax will be included, with full rules “in due course”
- second homes and empty properties are not eligible
- households where the person living there is not the one responsible for council tax are not eligible
- up to 20 million households in England will qualify
How it will be paid
If you pay council tax by Direct Debit and live in bands A to D, you should not need to do anything. The Government says the money will be paid straight into your bank account. If you pay another way, the council will invite you to apply.
Redbridge Council has not yet published how it will run the scheme locally. We could not find a page on the payment on its website on 1 November.
The Government warns that nobody other than your council should contact you about claiming it. Only give personal details if you are certain the council is the one asking.
If you are in band E or above
The Budget sets aside £100 million for councils across England to give discretionary help to households outside bands A to D. Each council will set its own rules and publish how to apply “once local arrangements are in place”, the Government says.
How much of that £100 million comes to Redbridge has not been published. With about 31,100 homes in bands E to H, more than most east London boroughs, the rules the council sets will matter here.
Households on means-tested benefits may also qualify for the separate £150 Warm Home Discount, whatever their band.
The rest of the Budget’s energy measures
- VAT on household electricity was cut to 0% on 1 October. The Budget extends that until July 2027.
- Standing charges on gas bills: the Government has asked Ofgem to move them onto the unit rate. Low gas users should pay less; high gas users could pay more.
- Energy debt: some billpayers on benefits, and pensioners, with debts built up since the 2022 energy crisis may have them written off through a Debt Relief Scheme. Ofgem will consult on the details.
What it means for you
- Check your band. Use the Government’s Check your council tax band service, or look at your bill.
- If you are in bands A to D and pay by Direct Debit, you should not need to apply. Keep your bank details up to date with the council.
- If you do not pay by Direct Debit, watch for a letter or email from Redbridge Council inviting you to apply.
- Never give bank details to anyone who contacts you about the payment. If in doubt, ring the council on the number on your bill.
- If you are in band E or above and struggling, look out for the council’s discretionary fund once it is announced.
We will update this story when Redbridge publishes how it will pay the money.
Sources
- GOV.UK: What the Autumn Budget 2026 means for your energy bills, 28 October 2026 (eligibility, payment method, the £100 million discretionary fund, VAT, standing charges and debt relief)
- Redbridge Council: Leader’s update, Friday 30 October 2026 (the 77,630 figure)
- Valuation Office Agency: Council Tax stock of properties 2026, table CTSOP1.1, homes by band at 31 March 2026, for Redbridge, its 33 middle layer areas, every London council area, London and England. Counts are rounded to the nearest 10.
- House of Commons Library: MSOA names, for the neighbourhood names
- Redbridge council tax 2026/27 by band, from the council’s own figures
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