THE borough council is sending out information about a council tax rebate this week to those who are eligible.

The government announced that those in bands A to D properties will receive £150 council tax rebate to mitigate rising energy costs, with these to be paid out from the start of April.

Read more: Historic mansion house and estate worth more than £65m up for sale in Basingstoke

Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced in February around 20 million households in England will benefit from a £3bn council tax rebate which does not have to be repaid.

It is part of a package of government measures to help families with rising energy costs.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council is now working to set up a scheme to pay the rebate to residents “as quickly as we can” and is urging people to set up a direct debit for council tax to enable rebates to be paid directly.

The borough council is sending out council tax bills this week which will include a breakdown of council tax for the next year along with information from the government about the council tax rebate and energy rebate schemes.

It said: “We are working hard to set up a scheme to pay the discretionary support and the £150 rebate locally as quickly as we can. We will be contacting residents in April to confirm when this payment will be made.”

It added: “Our phone lines for council tax enquiries are likely to be busy so please be aware that it may take longer for us to answer your call.”

The council is asking residents not to contact the revenues team regarding the rebate, and is instead directing people to a website where updates will be posted basingstoke.gov.uk/ctax-energy-rebate.

The £150 non-repayable rebate, known as the Council Tax Rebate will be given to households in England in council tax bands A to D.

In addition, £144million of discretionary funding has been given to billing authorities to support households who are in need but are not eligible for the Council Tax Rebate.

The borough council has £272,550 of funding for this grant and is reviewing the government guidance to design a scheme. It will provide further information in the coming months.

Those eligible for the £150 rebate will be contacted late April regarding payment.

If you are unsure of your council tax band, check your council tax band via your council tax bill issued this week or look on the council tax bands and charges webpage.

Message from the editor

Thank you for reading this story. We really appreciate your support.

Please help us to continue bringing you all the trusted news from your area by sharing this story or by following our Facebook page.