Thousands of Newcastle residents desperate to claim a £150 energy rebate are being left hanging on a council phone line for more than an hour.
Civic centre bosses have apologised after staff were overwhelmed by a huge volume of calls from people seeking help in obtaining the payments offered to ease the pressure of the cost of living crisis. Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced earlier this year that taxpayers in band A to D homes would get the one-off £150 boost to help them cope with escalating energy bills.
People who pay their council tax via direct debit should receive the money automatically into their bank accounts, but anyone that does not must apply separately. There are more than 50,000 eligible households in Newcastle that are being asked by the city council to fill in an online form in order to claim their rebate.
