Torbay Council has announced all eligible residents will now be able to apply for their council tax rebate – up to a month ahead of schedule.
The final two council tax bands, Band C and D properties, will be able to apply from next Monday (27 June) for their £150 rebate.
People living in Band C households were originally told they could apply from 4 July while Band D residents were given a date of 25 July.
Councillor Steve Darling, Leader of Torbay Council, said: “Torbay Council declared a cost-of-living emergency at our last Cabinet meeting in June. Many officers in the council have been stepping up to the mark to help speed up the processing of these applications.
“This has been a whole council effort. I would like to thank staff from across the council for coming forward to offer their evenings and weekends to help with processing the rebate. With this support, we’ve been able to open up the final two bands for applications early.
“Staff that have come forward have said they wanted to pull together to get money to the community as quickly as possible. The council opening applications early reflects the continued commitment of council staff to support our communities.”
Councillor Darren Cowell, Deputy Leader of Torbay Council, said: “We know residents have been keen to get their rebates, especially as there are so many increasing pressures on household budgets.
“It’s been a mammoth task to get this payment system up and running so we’re pleased we’ve been able to bring forward these dates for hard-pressed families and individuals.”
The government has set a deadline of 30 September for all payments to go out.
So far, the council has processed £5m of rebates (around 33,000 households) with around 20,000 households still to apply.
Households who pay their council tax by Direct Debit have been automatically receiving their rebate since early May.
Residents who do not pay by Direct Debit have to apply on the council’s website.
The £150 non-repayable government rebate is to help with the rising energy bills. It is for eligible households in Council Tax bands A-D.
Apply for the council tax rebate.
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