YORK residents are urged to sign up to pay council tax by direct debit so that eligible households can receive the government’s £150 energy rebate as swiftly as possible.

Earlier this year the Chancellor announced that households paying Council Tax in bands A-D would receive a one off £150 Council Tax Energy rebate to support families as food and energy prices are rising.

The council says it has its teams are standing ready to get this money into the bank accounts of residents as soon as possible in April.

Whilst the council has just received the full details of the scheme those who are signed up to pay Direct Debit will be able to receive the payment direct to their bank account without having to do anything else. This is because the council will have the necessary bank account details to make the payment to eligible households.

For those who don’t pay by Direct Debit the council will need to introduce a manual process requiring application, full bank verification and fraud checks these additional details will needed before any payment will be made. Further information on this will be made available early in April.

Around 75% of York households pay their council tax currently by Direct Debit. As well as being a hassle free way to pay Council Tax, this year paying by Direct Debit will also be the fastest way to get the £150 energy rebate.

Councillor Nigel Ayre, Executive Member for Finance and Performance said: "We have now received full details from the government as to how this scheme will work for those who don’t currently pay by Direct Debit. We will share more details for non-direct debit payers in April to ensure that everyone who is eligible can access this one off rebate.

"Our incredible teams stand ready to get these payments into residents’ bank accounts as quickly as possible and we will be sharing more information as soon as we can.”

For more information about paying by Direct Debit to City of York Council visit www.york.gov.uk/DirectDebit. There you will have the option to spread payments over 12 months should you wish.