Scores of people could miss out on a £150 grant to help towards energy costs if they don't claim it in time.
The rebate, unveiled by ex-chancellor Rishi Sunak in April, aims to help households in council tax bands A-D to help cope with rising energy bills. It is believed that over a million eligible households that will not receive the grant automatically due to not using direct debit have still not applied for the rebate. Now, the Government has given councils a deadline of September 30 to pay the funds, the Mirror reports.
Lib Dem leader Ed Davey said: "This is a botched Government scheme which leaves families and pensioners out in the cold. It was clear from the start that payments were never going to reach some of those who need it most. Now time is running out to save people from catastrophic energy bills."
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He added: "It is a national disgrace that pensioners in Britain will be choosing between heating and eating this winter. Yet we have a zombie government refusing to act even when their own half-baked programmes are proved to be unworkable."
Meanwhile, Andrew Western, of the Local Government Association, noted that councils had "worked hard" to distribute the £150 to as many eligible families as possible, but that it "has been a significant task and not without its challenges". He added: "Anyone who is eligible for the £150 payment, but who has not claimed for it yet, should contact their council as soon as possible."
A Government spokeswoman said: "In a matter of months, more than £2b has been paid out, helping more than 15 million households as part of our wider £37b support package to help with cost of living pressures. Councils have been given £28m to deliver the payments, including to set up software and recruit staff and they have until the end of September to do so.
"We are urging councils to make payments without further delay and have given a host of options to do this quickly and securely – including bank account transfers, council tax account credits or a voucher-based system."
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