Thousands of households have been told £150 take out of their accounts in the latest council tax rebate blunder.
People whose houses falls between council tax bands A-D are being given £150 to help with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
But while some have already received their bonuses, thousands in Kent were told the money would be paid in as well as also being taken out.
The borough council for Swale, who were in charge of paying the money into people’s accounts, said that more than 33,000 residents were affected by the error.
Swale borough council for has apologised for the error
Joe Giddens
Most households are eligible for the £150 council tax rebate
Dominic Lipinski
It said that some residents would "see both a debit and a credit on their bank account today due to an error processing the planned payments".
"We are deeply sorry that this has happened, and we have been working to rectify the situation and make sure people's accounts are in a neutral position. If you are worried, please check with your bank to confirm both a debit and credit has been made to your account."
The council has now said that the debt will not be taken from people’s accounts, while also “wholeheartedly” apologising for the issue.
It said in a statement: “As the debit subsequently failed, we're now in a position where more than 33,500 residents are in receipt of their energy rebate.
"This was a complicated situation, and it's taken longer than we would like to get the information and clarity we, and those potentially affected, need."
The issue comes after 25,000 residents in Leeds received two payments in error, with the council warning they will be reclaiming the money.
A Leeds council spokesman said: "We are aware that a significant number of council tax rebate payments have been duplicated, meaning some residents have received the payment twice.
“This is due to a process error where the same payment file was incorrectly processed twice after it was initially rejected by the bank.
"We are working with our bank to recover the duplicate payments so that the situation can be rectified as soon as possible."
