Thousands of Scarborough households set to receive £150 council tax rebate to tackle rising bills as new scheme approved

The leader's urgent decision – which was approved by Scarborough Council leader Cllr Steve Siddons on Wednesday May 11 – makes the £150 payment available to higher-value properties in bands E to H.

The discretionary scheme targets residents in houses of multiple occupancy and those who cannot access the mandatory scheme – which covers bands A to D – who are responsible for fuel costs or contributions but are not liable for council tax.

Thousands of residents are understood to be affected with Scarborough Council allocated £254,550. Any overspend will be funded by the authority and not central Government.

The Government earmarked £144m for a discretionary fund for local authorities to give to vulnerable residents and those with low incomes who did not qualify for the initial rebate scheme.

The document did not reveal a specific date for when the discretionary payments would be made but said that they must all be paid before November 30 2022.

The application form for the discretionary £150 rebate scheme is set to launch on Monday May 16 on Scarborough Council's website here.

The report said that Scarborough Council will contact all eligible households by letter in bands E to H that the authority can identify from council tax records and invite residents to apply for the scheme.

Households in council tax bands A to D are already eligible for the £150 payment, which is being offered to help families with the surging cost of living.

In the report, prepared by the council's officers, it said the authority has already made "good progress" in distributing payments to eligible A to D council tax band households with 38,038 payments made totalling £5,705,700 as of May 11.

Scarborough Council will continue to accept applications for the mandatory scheme, which closes on September 30.