Liverpool Council has provided an update on when city residents will receive their £150 Council Tax rebate.
In February, the government announced a package of support to help people with increasing energy costs. This included a one-off payment of £150 to households in Council Tax bands A to D and a discretionary fund for higher band properties.
Last month, Liverpool Council rubber stamped plans to get the £32m support scheme underway. However, households are still yet to receive their cash.
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The council has now provided an update on when it expects city residents to receive the £150. A statement said: "Our staff have been working really hard to put in place the necessary systems and procedures to make the rebate procedure as simple and efficient as it can be.
"This is a significant piece of work because there are 224,500 eligible households in Liverpool and we need to make sure that payments are made correctly. We are starting to pay the rebate to households in May."
But when and how the residents will receive the money depends on how you pay their Council Tax. If you are one of more than 110,000 households that pay by Direct Debit, you do not need to do anything – you will be paid a rebate during the month of May, although the council can't say exactly when because they are processing the payments in batches.
Other households should look out for a letter from the local authority coming through your doors from later in May. This will explain how you can apply online. Alternative plans are being made for people without internet access.
For those living in larger properties in Bands E to H, that are also struggling to pay their bills, help should hopefully be on the way soon. The council says it will be releasing details of a discretionary scheme that they can apply for shortly.
The council says it has a range of other support available for households that are struggling and cannot wait for the rebate to be paid. These schemes include Liverpool Citizens Support Scheme, Council Tax Support and others, more details can be found here.
On Twitter, Liverpool Council cabinet member Harry Doyle explained why Liverpool residents are yet to receive their rebate, when others elsewhere have. He said: "It’s starting this month. Cabinet meetings have changed and meant that we didn’t agree to accept the funding until last week in April. Those other authorities agreed it at the beginning of the month if not before."
Full details of the Council Tax energy rebate scheme can be found on here.
