COUNCIL tax rebates worth £150 are starting to be paid into bank accounts across the Harrogate district – but thousands of households will have to wait to apply.

The government support is being sent out by Harrogate Borough Council to help ease the impact of huge rises in gas and electricity bills.

The payments are being made directly into the bank accounts of households with council tax bandings of A – D, but only to those which have a direct debit set up with the council.

Around 15,000 households paying by any other means will need to apply online, however, the application process has yet to go live.

Julie Gillett, customer services manager at Harrogate Borough Council, told a meeting tonight that the council was working to put the process in place and that this could take around another month.

She said: “At the moment, we are working on making payments to the direct debit payers and then opening applications up to non-direct debit payers.

“We are still in development, but we will be looking more towards the end of May to be able to get these applications made.”

The council this week confirmed the £150 payments have started for those whose first direct debit was taken in April.

It also said the majority of other payments will be made within 28 days.

Also at tonight’s cabinet meeting, councillors approved the use of £253,350 in government funding to provide £150 payments to households which are not eligible for the main scheme.

This will include households which are in higher council tax bands of E – H but have a low income, as well as multiple occupancy homes which are not liable for council tax but are responsible for energy bills.

The support will also go to band A – D households where council tax liability falls to the owner but the occupiers are responsible for energy bills.

Separately, a further £35 will be added on top of the £150 payments for households which receive council tax reductions.

As well as the council tax rebate announced in February, the government will also discount energy bills by £200 for all domestic electricity customers from October.

However, unlike the council tax rebate, this discount will be automatically recovered from people’s bills in equal £40 installments over a five year period from 2023, when it is hoped global wholesale gas prices will have come down.

For more information on the council tax rebate go to www.harrogate.gov.uk/council-tax