‘I’ve been waiting six weeks for my cost of living payment’
A DERBY man says he is still waiting for his £150 Council Tax rebate despite applying for the cash six weeks ago.
Graham Hibbert, of Chaddesden, says he has been told by the council that he has been paid the cash – but he has no record of it.
The 63-year-old, who lives in Beaufort Street, says he keeps calling the council for answers but is constantly getting nowhere in his attempts to get the payment.
More than 100,000 households in Derby are eligible for the payment which was announced by the Government at the start of the year to help people with the cost of living.
Recently it was announced that more than 80,000 households in Derby have received the cash from the council but that still leaves 20,000 or so yet to be paid the money.
Those in Derby who pay council tax by direct debit should have had the payment automatically sent to their bank account but the council said those who didn’t pay by direct debit needed to apply – as the authority did not have their bank details to make the payment.
This is the situation Mr Hibbert found himself in earlier this year when a friend of his helped him to apply for the money at the end of May. Mr Hibbert, who lives with his partner and two sons, receives benefits as he cannot work due to a long-term illness.
He says the money will help him pay his rising energy bills which have increased currently to around £80 per month with a further hike expected later this year.
Mr Hibbert said: “I applied at the
end of May and was told I should have had it by June 28. I’ve phoned the council to ask if the application has gone through and they said yes it has and a payment has been made. They said the payment was made early May but that can’t be right if I applied at the end of May.
“But I’ve been looking through my bank receipts and have no record of it. I’m really annoyed about this.
“If the council wanted money from me they would not want to be waiting, that’s for sure. They’d soon send you a letter. I need it for my energy bills.”
Mr Hibbert said he has been checking his bank account regularly but still can’t see any payment having been made.
But Derby City Council says Mr Hibbert will be paid in the coming days.
The authority has announced more payments of the £150 will be made by it by Tuesday. This applies to all validated applications between June 29 and July 11. It also includes nearly 1,500 accounts that had previously requested payment by BACS (direct bank payment) but were unable to pass the council’s validation.
In reference to Mr Hibbert’s case, a council spokesperson said: “The account in question will be on the 15th July payment file. The payment will be in the chosen bank account on Tuesday 19th July.”
Last week Derby City Council said it had changed the deadline for applications from July 31 to July 11. Anyone eligible who had not made an application by July 11 would receive two £75 PayPoint vouchers that can be exchanged for money.