Thousands of households were still waiting for the council tax rebate at the end of July.

Thousands of Cherwell households eligible for a £150 council tax rebate had yet to receive it at the end of July, new figures show.

Earlier this year, the government announced that every household in council tax bands A to D would receive a £150 rebate, as part of a wider package of support to help with the cost-of-living crisis.

These payments started landing in people’s bank accounts in April – but new figures from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities show that 5,646 – or 11 per cent – of the 51,012 eligible households in Cherwell were still waiting as of the end of July.

More households will likely have received the payment since then.

Payment has generally happened automatically for those who pay their council tax bills by direct debit.

But it could take longer to reach council taxpayers without direct debit arrangements, as local authorities need to attempt to contact them about the rebate scheme and carry out checks, the Local Government Association said earlier this year.

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The government has also pledged £144 million in ‘discretionary funds’ to help those not covered by the main rebate scheme, or to provide further support to those who are – such as those who have council tax reductions due to a disability, but do not live in a band A to D property.

However, the figures show that no households in Cherwell had been paid from the discretionary fund as of the end of July.

Across England, 2.6 million households were still waiting to receive support as of the end of July, out of more than 19 million eligible.

New Prime Minister Liz Truss has been urged to provide more support to tackle the soaring costs of fuel, food and basic goods.

A recent report by the Resolution Foundation think-tank proposed an energy support package worth tens of billions of pounds to help Britons weather the squeeze on living standards.

Levelling Up Secretary Greg Clark said: “I’m pleased to see further progress in paying the council tax rebate out to the millions of households who are eligible to receive it.

“We want to make sure that those most in need receive the support that they are entitled to.

“This is why I am urging everyone to check their eligibility to receive the rebate and contact their councils if they have not.”

Anyone yet to obtain the payment should check their council’s website and make a claim by the end of September, the DLUHC said.

 

Read more from this author

This story was written by Matthew Norman, he joined the team in 2022 as a Facebook community reporter.

Matthew covers Bicester and focuses on finding stories from diverse communities.

Get in touch with him by emailing: Matthew.norman@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter: @OxMailMattN1

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