Over £900,000 of Rishi Sunak's energy cash rebate to be given to second home owners in Derbyshire

In an effort to tackle the ongoing cost of living and energy crises, Chancellor Rishi Sunak is giving every household in England, Wales and Scotland a £400 discount on their energy bills – including second homes.

While this will be welcomed by those in need, it also allows people who own more than one home to receive multiple discounts – with no apparent limit. The budget has also been doubled – originally, each household was set to receive a £200 discount, instead of £400.

There are over 301,000 second homes in Britain. Therefore, if each of these houses receives part of the discount, the total amount will add up to £120,720,800 being used on second homes across the country.

The rebate does not include Northern Ireland, although the treasury will be sending them an equivalent amount of money to spend.

How much money is Derbyshire getting?

In Derbyshire, multiple homeowners will receive over £900,000 via their second homes – with around £400,000 of this alone going to second homes in the Derbyshire Dales.

The Derbyshire Dales has more significantly second homes than anywhere else in the region, with a total of 1,051. For reference, Derbyshire contains 2,493 houses that are not considered “first” homes – meaning over a third of them are in the Dales.

What have people said about the rebate scheme?

Prime Minister Boris Johnson had nothing but praise for Sunak’s rebate scheme, describing it as a “big bazooka”. However, he acknowledged that there may be a “bumpy time” ahead for people and families who are struggling to make ends meet.

Sunak himself owns three homes in the UK, but has promised to donate any money he receives through the scheme to charity. It is unclear which charities he will be donating to.

Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) Director, Paul Johnson, speaking to BBC Radio 4, had this to say: “£100 off for each household in the country costs, each £100, costs something like £3 billion and a lot of that money, frankly, will go to households who don’t desperately need it.

“I’m sure they’ll appreciate it, but won’t necessarily need it.”

National World has approached the treasury for a comment, but has yet to receive a response.