Applications are now open for thousands of households to apply for their £150 energy rebate from Harrogate Borough Council.

There are around 15,000 households that must fill out an online form because they do not have a direct debit set up with the council.

Other people who have yet to receive the payout because their bank account name does not match the name on their council tax records can also apply on the council’s website.

The payments are to help with soaring energy bills and are being made to homes in council tax bands A-D.

Around a third of Harrogate district households have yet to receive the money, including some of those who will be paid automatically because they pay council tax by direct debit.

Those who are non-direct debit have had to wait until now to apply.

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The council said these households will need their latest council tax bill and bank account details if they want the £150 paid into their bank.

The council added:

“Your rebate will be paid into your bank account within two weeks of a successful application

“Please note that we will not contact you by telephone for this information.”

There is further funding set to be made available for households which do not qualify under the initial scheme. This will include people on low income in council tax bands E-H.

Separately, the government has also announced a £200 discount on energy bills 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 instalments over a five year period from 2023, when it is hoped global wholesale gas prices will have come down.

For more information on how to apply for the £150 energy rebate go to www.harrogate.gov.uk/energyrebate

Thousands of Harrogate households still waiting for their £150 council tax rebates should be able to apply before the end of this month, the borough council has said.

Around 34,000 households have received the payouts to help with soaring energy bills, but an estimated 15,000 are still unable to apply.

This is because they do not pay council tax by direct debit – and there are warnings that some of the poorest homes are having to wait the longest.

Campaign group National Energy Action said it is typically the poorest households that do not pay by direct debit – either because they do not have a bank account or because they manage their finances on an ad hoc basis.

Its chief executive Adam Scorer said:

“There are serious concerns that those with the greatest need will be least able to access the money.”

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The government announced the support in February and said councils were expected to start paying the £150 rebates from April.

But many councils have struggled to administer the payments at short notice, including Harrogate Borough Council which said setting up applications for non-direct debit households has been a “complex” process.

A council spokesperson said:

“To date, we have paid more than 34,000 households across the Harrogate district the £150 energy rebate.

“The process for launching an application form for non-direct debit payers is complex and also involves pre-payment checks to prevent fraud, as well as a system to ensure payment can be made to eligible residents promptly after making a successful application.

“We anticipate this form being published via our website at the end of the month.”

The payments are available to homes in council tax bands A to D, and those which pay by direct debit will receive the money automatically.

The different process for households who don’t pay council tax by direct debit has attracted criticism from the local Liberal Democrats, who said some residents are being “disadvantaged”.

Cllr Pat Marsh, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Harrogate Borough Council.

Councillor Pat Marsh, leader of the Lib Dems on Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“There should be no excuses for delaying this process or making it overly complicated.

“The application form should have been on the council website immediately.

“In fact, the best way to have done all this would have been to just take the £150 off the council tax bills for this year.

“When I raised this issue at council, I was told it was too late as the bills had already been printed, but they could have put an application form in the council tax bill envelope.

“Why insist on people jumping through unnecessary hoops?”

As well as the £150 council tax rebate, the government has also announced a £200 discount on energy bills 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 instalments 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.

Around 15,000 Harrogate district households could miss out on a £150 council tax rebate because they do not have a direct debit set up with the borough council.

The government announced the support last month to help ease the impact of huge rises in gas and electricity costs.

The payment will be made in April directly into the bank accounts of households with council tax bandings of A – D, but only if they have a direct debit set up with the council.

Anyone paying by any other means will need to make a claim or risk missing out on the £150.

Harrogate Borough Council has this week confirmed it is reaching out to around 15,000 households in this situation to urge them to sign up.

A council spokesperson said: 

“We’re still going through the government guidance for the scheme but we can ensure we’ll do everything we can and make every effort to ensure all eligible residents receive the rebate.

“The easiest way to ensure residents will receive this rebate is by signing up to pay their council tax by direct debit as it will be paid automatically.

“If you do not pay your council tax by direct debit you will be contacted by email or letter in due course so that this information can be provided.

“Please note, we will not contact you by telephone for this information.”

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Some concerns have been raised about the way the payments will be distributed, with Harrogate’s Liberal Democrats describing the approach as “complicated” and “divisive”.

Cllr Pat Marsh, leader of the opposition party on Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“Surely the best way to do it is just to reduce everyone’s council tax bill by £150 at source.

“The bills have not gone out yet, so there is time to do it.”

Cllr Marsh also echoed calls for a one-off windfall tax on big profit oil and gas companies to “raise money to support millions of families facing soaring energy costs”.

This comes after figures from the Liberal Democrats showed Harrogate residents will be among the hardest hit by the energy crisis, with households in the district paying around £796 more this year.

Cllr Marsh said: 

“For years the Conservatives have ignored this problem and failed to take the bold action we need to reduce fuel poverty.

“Boris Johnson cannot look the other way any longer while families face an impossible choice between heating and eating.”

The government has argued that a one-off tax like this would put jobs and investments at risk – something Harrogate MP Andrew Jones previously said would be “very dangerous” and a “potentially hugely damaging blow to British industry.”

As well as the £150 council tax rebate, the government has also announced a £200 discount on energy bills for all domestic electricity customers from October, with the government meeting the costs.

However, unlike the council tax rebate, this discount will be automatically recovered from people’s bills in equal £40 instalments 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.