Thousands of Milton Keynes households kept waiting for council tax rebate

The Citizen has taken a look at the promises of the previous prime minister and how the government’s manifesto has affected Milton Keynes.

Earlier this year the government announced that every household in council tax bands A to D would receive a £150 rebate as part of a wider package of support to help with the cost-of-living crisis.

These payments started landing in people's bank accounts in April. But now new figures from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities show that 10,086 – or 10.8% – of the 93,633 eligible households in Milton Keynes were still waiting as of the end of July.

However, last month MK Council vowed to pay the rebate into their accounts automatically – even if they had not made a claim.

Leading councillors said there had been a “low uptake” among residents, especially pensioners and older people.

The government has also pledged £144m in 'discretionary funds' to help those not covered by the main rebate scheme, or to provide further support to those who are – such as those who have a council tax reductions due to a disability, but do not live in a band A to D property.

These figures show 263 households in Milton Keynes had received funds from the discretionary fund as of the end of July.

Across England, 2.6 million households were still waiting to receive support as of the end of July, out of more than 19 million eligible.

Now Liz Truss, fresh from winning the leadership race this morning, has been urged to provide more support to tackle the soaring costs of fuel, food and basic goods.

Meanwhile, a recent report by the Resolution Foundation think-tank proposed an energy support package worth tens of billions of pounds, to help Britons weather the squeeze on living standards.

Levelling Up Secretary Greg Clark said: “I’m pleased to see further progress in paying the council tax rebate out to the millions of households who are eligible to receive it.

“We want to make sure that those most in need receive the support that they are entitled to help households with the cost of living.

"This is why I am urging everyone to check their eligibility to receive the rebate and contact their councils if they have not.”

Anyone yet to obtain the payment should check their council’s website and make a claim by the end of September, the DLUHC said.