Thousands of households in Wigan still waiting for council tax rebate

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 bank accounts in April – but new figures from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities show that 8,950 – or 6.6 per cent – of the 134,670 eligible households in Wigan 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.

The Government also pledged £144m 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 a council tax reductions due to a disability, but do not live in a band A to D property.

These figures show 253 households in Wigan had received funds from the discretionary fund as of the end of July.

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

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 help households with the cost of living.

"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.