Kirklees residents who don't pay their council tax by direct debit can now apply for the £150 energy rebate

Kirklees residents should now receive their rebate within two weeks of a successful application.

There are provisions available for those who struggle using the internet or filling in forms, and residents can call 01484 225331 for support physically filling out the form. There will also be options available for those who don’t have a valid bank account.

Anyone facing challenges with their application is invited to contact the council directly for support; this can be done through the council website’s chat function, or by calling the main switchboard on 01484 221000 and asking about the Council Tax Energy Rebate.

As this application form goes live, more than £14million of energy rebate money has already been paid out to Kirklees residents who pay their council tax by direct debit.

Direct debit payers have been able to receive their payments more quickly, as a direct debit account enables more of the necessary checks, and the payments themselves, to be processed automatically.

Just under 95,000 direct debit payers had been confirmed as eligible by the beginning of May, and should now have received their £150 rebate payments.

The council is now in the process of contacting direct debit payers for whom any issues were flagged during the automated checks, who should receive a letter explaining the issue and how to resolve it.

Coun Paul Davies, cabinet member for corporate, said: “This rebate will help support people through the current energy crisis and the resultant rising cost of bills, which are having the biggest impact on households who were already struggling to get by.

“Over the last few weeks we’ve been working very hard to make sure the application process for the Council Tax Energy Rebate works as smoothly as possible for everyone.

"It’s been a huge job to arrange for this amount of money to be dispensed correctly, quickly and efficiently.

"Now that the application form is live, we should be able to get money in people’s bank accounts within two weeks of a successful application.

“At this stage, we’re happy to say that nearly 95,000 people have now received their rebates.

"We’ve already paid out more than £14million of energy rebate money, and over the coming weeks we expect to pay out millions more.

“If you pay your council tax by direct debit and haven’t received your rebate yet, please don’t worry.

"This is probably because an issue was flagged during our automated checks, but that doesn’t mean you’re not entitled to your rebate.

"The council is in the process of contacting anyone in this situation directly, and you should receive a letter explaining the issue with your account and how to resolve it.”

The online application form for the Council Tax Energy Rebate can be found on Kirklees Council’s website: https://www.kirklees.gov.uk/beta/council-tax/council-tax-energy-rebate.aspx