ALMOST one in five households in the city eligible for a council tax rebate had yet to receive it at the end of July, new figures show.

The government announced earlier this year 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.

The payments started landing in people’s bank accounts in April, but figures from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities show some 21,076 or 19.7 per cent of eligible households in Brighton and Hove were still waiting at the end of July.

Payments have automatically been issued for those who pay council tax by direct debit, but those who do not have to complete a short form.

A council spokesman said while they want to ensure everyone receives their energy rebate by the end of September deadline, “to do so, we need the help of some people who are eligible”.

He said: “Everyone who pays by direct debit should have received their payment by now.

“For more than 35,000 other households who do not pay this way, we needed them to confirm or provide their bank details.

“We wrote to affected households asking them to complete a short form on our website to provide us with their bank details so that we could pay them as soon as possible.

“We then sent reminders to everyone who had not responded to this request and are working through these as quickly as possible.

“For people who have not responded or are unable to respond by the deadline on their letter, we will need to make the payment directly to their council tax account.”

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.

Levelling Up secretary Greg Clark said: “We want to make sure that those most in need receive the support that they are entitled to 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.”