SIREN TESTING
COUNCILS WERE LEFT TO CO-ORDINATE POLICY WITH THERE BEING SOME BLUNDERS
THOUSANDS of people across Yorkshire are still waiting for their £150 council tax rebate from their local authority to help with the cost of living crisis, with many asking why it is taking so long.
The policy was announced earlier this year to help struggling households cope with spiralling energy bills, fuel prices and food shops. Revealing the policy, chancellor Rishi Sunak said: “We will help people deal with one of the biggest costs they now face – energy.”
Councils have been left to coordinate the time-consuming refunds at short notice, with some high-profile blunders made here in Yorkshire. Leeds City Council has apologised after 25,000 people were accidentally sent the £150 rebate twice.
“This is due to a process error where the same payment file was incorrectly processed twice after it was initially rejected by the bank,” said the council. “We are working with our bank to recover the duplicate payments so that the situation can be rectified as soon as possible.”
Dozens of readers have left their thoughts on Facebook about the policy.
Amanda Charlesworth said: “Why not just do credit on your account ?? I don’t get why it needs refunding.”
Janice Patterson agreed. She said: “They could just have deducted the money from our April payment and then concentrate on the others.”
Some readers, including Tracy Allen, are still waiting for their rebate to be paid. However, Ryland Blake is among those who has got the money already. He said: “Got mine in Wakefield.”
Meanwhile, Matthew Brown told people to “stop complaining and moaning”. He said: “You will get it and expect.
“I imagine logistically it will take some time but stop whinging. If this is what people are like being given £150, god knows what you are like if they were taking it. Be thankful, it’s a bonus.”
Kirklees Council said people who pay by direct debit will be credited “from April”. For other people, the application process will open over the next few weeks.
Barnsley Council has started to make payments this week and said that “everyone who pays by direct debit and is eligible for the payment will receive the money in their bank account by Friday, April 29”.
In a Facebook post, they added: “For those who do not pay by direct debit, and have submitted an application form before April 25, we will have processed their claim by Friday, April 29. Due to processing times, this payment will not arrive in bank accounts until after the bank holiday.
“If you have not yet submitted your application, you have until June 30 to do so.”
The council tax rebate applies to homes in council tax bands A, B, C or D in England and Wales – roughly 80% of properties – but not those who live in council tax bands E, F, G and H. The money won’t need to be paid back and will be issued by councils from April.
it’s £150 you didn’t