Cash in your energy crisis payments, urges council

ALL eligible households have received their £150 council tax rebates — and RMBC has urged residents to cash the funds.

More than 108,000 government-funded energy crisis payments have been sent out in Rotherham, including 32,366 by cheque.

A senior councillor said this made Rotherham one of the first local authorities to send out the money to all those eligible.

More than 80 per cent of the cheques have been cashed.

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Where one is not cashed by September 9, the council will deduct the amount from any outstanding council tax arrears.

Anyone housebound or without a bank account can contact RMBC to make alternative arrangements, without charge.

Cllr Saghir Alam, cabinet member for finance, said: “We want to see every penny of financial support provided by the Government helping Rotherham residents immediately, so we are encouraging those 6,000 or so people who have received payment by cheque to cash it as soon as possible.

“Distributing payments on this scale is a significant task which many local authorities have struggled with and I am proud that we are one of the few councils in the country to have already issued payments to all eligible residents.

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“I would urge anyone who has received a cheque but is unable to bank or cash it for good reason to contact us so that we can make alternative arrangements to suit them.”

Cllr Alam encouraged anyone struggling with the spiralling cost of living to check the additional financial assistance in place at www.rotherham.gov.uk/council-tax-benefits.

Some 7,155 payments of £90 were made to those in the higher council tax bands, instead of the £150 rebate, after the government provided about £615,000.

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