Bristol City Council looks set to miss the April deadline for the £150 council tax rebate. With just four days to go before the end of the month - and only two working days - thousands of residents are still without the money the government promised them back in February.
The money was due to be paid "in April", the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, repeatedly said, though other government documents also referred to the money being paid "from April". Bristol City Council, along with North Somerset Council and South Gloucestershire Council, appear to be lagging behind.
BCC's dedicated web page says: "Arrangements are being made to implement the council tax rebate scheme and we will provide more information as soon as possible." It is also yet to be updated with information on how to claim if you do not pay your council tax by direct debit; people who do will receive it automatically.
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When asked when the payment would be made, and when people would be told how to claim, a Bristol City Council spokesperson told Bristol Live today: "We are expecting an update on council tax rebates later this week. There is currently no further detail to share." Pressed again on whether the payments would be made by the end of the month, the spokesperson did not respond.
North Somerset Council said its residents who pay by direct debit would receive the rebate "by Tuesday 26 April". It says it will write to anyone who does not pay by direct debit in order to make appropriate arrangements.
Some North Somerset residents have confirmed they have received the money, while one - who pays by direct debit - confirmed they had not. The council did not respond to a request for comment.
South Gloucestershire Council, meanwhile, has said it has started rolling out the payments. It said anyone paying by direct debit should receive the money "by the beginning of June", while anyone paying another way will be written to "towards the middle of May".
A spokesperson for South Gloucestershire Council said: “We are working through the £150 council tax rebates as fast as we can, subject to the limits of our finance system in handling large numbers of payments to residents. Most households that pay by direct debit will receive their payment by the beginning of June.
"We apologise for the delay and thank residents for their patience while we continue to process this. For customers who do not have a direct debit set up, we will be sending a letter in the post in the next few weeks.
"We will not be contacting any direct debit customers for bank details. If you receive anything about the rebate and you are unsure if it is genuine, please get in touch.”
Sunak announced the £150 rebate in February. He said at the time: "We are going to give people a £150 council tax rebate to help with the cost of energy in April, and this discount will not need to be repaid."
He repeated that claim later the same day, saying: "Those in council tax bands A to D will get £150 in April," though by March he had softened his language, saying: "Households in England will receive £150 starting this April."
The government is providing the money, with councils tasked with getting it to their residents. It is to be paid to all households in bands A to D, meaning around 80 per cent of homes in England will benefit.
