Thousands of households in Adur and Worthing have still not applied for a £150 cost of living payment as the deadline approaches.
Households in council tax bands A to D are eligible for the £150 payment – which does not need to be paid back – as part of a £37 billion government support package to help with the rising cost of living.
But a spokesperson for Adur and Worthing Councils confirmed that 3,050 eligible households were yet to apply and the councils were waiting on a further 346 to supply payment details.
Households which pay council tax via direct debit should have received the rebate automatically.
But those paying via other methods, and those who have council tax exemptions or reductions, may need to apply if they have not already done so.
A spokesperson for the councils said: “Payments must be made by the end of September 2022, so if a payment hasn’t been made and the customer hasn’t contacted us to advise that they do not wish to receive the rebate, we will automatically credit the customer’s council tax account.”
The government also awarded Worthing Borough Council £200,850 and Adur District Council £103,350 to support struggling households as part of a separate ‘discretionary scheme’.
No households had received this support as of the end of June, according to data from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).
An Adur and Worthing Councils spokesperson said:
“We are currently analysing the criteria for discretionary awards.
“Details will be added to our website once the criteria is determined and customers will be encouraged to submit an application where we are unable to automatically issue a payment.”
Making the payments has been challenging in terms of time and resources for councils up and down the country.
DLUHC has since urged councils to ‘keep pace’ with making payments to the remaining households and says it has provided £28 million for new software and staff to help administer the scheme.
More information on the £150 rebate can be found here: https://www.adur-worthing.gov.uk/council-tax/energy-rebate/
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