Nobody eligible will miss out on council tax rebate, re-assures Shropshire Council

Householders in council tax bands A-D will be given a £150 rebate on their bills after the Government passed the energy grants onto local authorities to administer.

The Liberal Democrats have urged all council tax payers to ensure they are signed up to receive the payment.

North Shropshire MP, Helen Morgan, said only those who pay their bills by direct debit would automatically benefit and she feared that around 7,539 families in Shropshire were liable to miss out on the £150 support.

However a spokesperson for Shropshire Council said no-body would miss out, whether they paid their bill by direct debit or not.

"We will be making automatic payments to those we hold bank details for and, on that basis those who pay by direct debit will likely receive their rebate first,

"Those who don’t pay by direct debit will be invited to provide bank details to enable us to make payment to them. We are still working up an application process for non direct debit payers.

"The message for residents though, is that no one in bands A-D that meets the eligibility criteria set by the Government will miss out on the energy rebate, whether they pay by direct debit or not."

Around 73 per cent of households in Shropshire pay their council tax by Direct Debit, and those who qualify will receive the payment into their bank account without needing to take any action.

However, that leaves around 36,000 households who do not pay by Direct Debit,

Council taxpayers wishing to set up a Direct Debit for council tax should visit the council’s webpage:shropshire.gov.uk/council-tax/pay-your-council-tax/.

To reduce the risk of fraud, the Government have suggested that the council waits until their first council tax instalment has been collected by Direct Debit before issuing the energy rebate.

"For those who are not eligible for a rebate but are struggling to meet the costs of rising energy bills, including those who live in properties that fall into council tax bands E – H, a discretionary fund is also being launched by the Government and made available through councils.

The council is currently working on a discretionary fund scheme, but it says payments will be easier and faster for those with Direct Debits in place.

Those unable to go online and who need help in setting up a council tax Direct Debit can contact the council by calling 0345 678 9002.