A third of households in Kirklees may have to apply to get £150 tax rebate

Around 62,000 households in Kirklees may have to apply to receive the Government’s £150 council tax rebate as they do not pay their bills by direct debit.
Last month the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced a one-off payment to help people shoulder the burden of cost of living rises caused by huge hikes in energy billsLast month the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced a one-off payment to help people shoulder the burden of cost of living rises caused by huge hikes in energy bills
Last month the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced a one-off payment to help people shoulder the burden of cost of living rises caused by huge hikes in energy bills

Council bosses are now investigating how the cash will be paid out to those eligible to receive it.

Last month the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced a one-off payment to help people shoulder the burden of cost of living rises caused by huge hikes in energy bills.

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That £150 payment will be automatically paid into the bank account of households in band A-D properties that pay council tax by direct debit.

A total of 160,909 households in Kirklees are eligible for the money with payments made directly by the council from April. They money does not need to be repaid.

But there is a glitch affecting those people who do not pay by direct debit, and where the local authority – in this case Kirklees – does not hold their bank details.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) wrote to Kirklees Council and asked the following questions:

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How many non-direct debit households are there in the borough?

What action is the council taking to encourage them to sign up to direct debit?

What will happen if they don’t sign up?

What is the cost (if any) of mailshots to these households, and what other material might they include for information, for example a letter from the Chancellor?

A council spokesperson said the authority was arranging for more than a third of eligible households – 38.5 per cent – that do not currently use direct debit to pay their council tax bills to receive the tax rebate.

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“This number is approximately 62,000," the spokesperson said.

“We are still working out the details of how we best manage this and what people affected need to do, but we will be including Government information about the rebate in our annual council tax bill letters that go to all Kirklees households.

“We will also be making this information available on our website and social media channels.”

The council has pledged to ensure that all residents eligible for the £150 rebate will be able to receive it “regardless of how they currently pay their council tax bills”.

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Coun John Lawson (Lib Dem, Cleckheaton) said the issue of the rebate and how it was communicated and paid was “a matter of urgency”.

He said: “We can’t risk people having delays in receiving cash at a time when every penny counts.

“The rebate has been poorly thought-out but it’s the council’s task to deliver it now and they must make sure they warn as many households as possible.”