Leeds City Council (LCC) has apologised to residents after duplicate payments were made into some people's bank accounts as part of the tax energy rebate scheme.
The authority has today (Fri) set out a range of repayment options available to people affected by the "processing error", which it says was made by an organisation working on behalf of the council. A spokesperson said the error was "out of the council's control" and led to some people receiving a duplicate payment of the £150 rebate, which is available to households in tax bands A to D.
Letters outlining available repayment options have been sent to those affected. People wishing to repay the money immediately can do so via bank transfer or through a secure online system called Payit.
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Both the bank transfer and Payit repayment options are available until Friday, June 3, and details on how to use both methods are included in the council's letter, the authority said. It added staff at LCC's community hubs will be on hand to help anyone who is struggling.
Alternatively, people can choose to have their monthly direct debit council tax payments adjusted so that the money is repaid in instalments over the rest of the year. There is no need for those who prefer this option to take any action themselves, with the council planning to make the required direct debit adjustments automatically for households that do not use the repayment-in-full method before June 3.
A spokesperson for LCC said: "We apologise for any confusion and inconvenience caused by the duplicate payments into people's bank accounts, which were due to a processing error by an organisation working on behalf of the council. We hope the letters going out to affected residents will help ensure the incorrect payments are repaid as quickly as possible.
"Our officers have been working hard to get the rebates out to local households and 200,000 payments have been made correctly."
Anyone with further questions should visit the council's website or email counciltax.rebate@leeds.gov.uk.
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