Thousands of households will receive the £150 council tax rebate today as part of Rishi Sunak’s package of measures designed to combat the cost-of-living crisis.
The Chancellor announced the rebate in February to help low-income households tackle soaring inflation and rising energy bills.
Those living in properties with council tax bands A to D will be entitled to a one-off cash payment.
Local councils, who are paying the rebate, will decide when to make the transfer, meaning not all households will receive the money today.
While some could wait until September, 30,000 residents in Hull have already received the extra cash today.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak
Aaron Chown
An elderly lady with her electric fire on at home
Peter Byrne
Hull City Council said households will see the money enter the same bank account that they pay their direct debit from.
They warned that because of processing delays, not all residents might receive the rebate today.
To further ease the burden on household finances, in his Spring Statement Mr Sunak also announced a 5p-a-litre cut in fuel duty as well as offsets to energy bills that are due to be paid back from next year.
However, he has faced widespread criticism that the measures do not go far enough in light of the UK’s dire economic growth exacerbated by Covid-19 and the Ukraine-Russia crisis.
People can find out what council tax band and whether they are entitled to the rebate by using the Government postcode search tool on their website.
Charity Age UK warned that a fifth of elderly people who are ineligible for the council tax rebate to offset energy price rises are already living in poverty or hardship, a charity has warned.
