Thousands of hard hit households in Harrogate to have council tax bills cut by £150

Around 5,000 homes which already receive council tax support will have their bills reduced by £150 through the government's hardship fund.

Harrogate Borough Council has been allocated £863,000 from the fund and will start sending out amended bills after the support scheme is signed off by councillors this month.

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Coun Graham Swift, deputy leader of the council, told a meeting the district's "hardest hit and lowest paid" residents will be the ones to benefit from the scheme.

"It is such another important step in ensuring all of our communities are protected during what is obviously an extremely challenging time for everybody", he said.

"This is not only a government addressing businesses, but they are putting funds out to ensure our hardest hit residents are protected from council tax payments, when frankly some of them may not even benefit from the furlough scheme".

Wallace Sampson, chief executive of the council, said in a report the authority will allocate £150 to every eligible claimant "in the first instance".

Anyone struggling to pay their council tax should visit www.harrogate.gov.uk to see what other support is available.

By Jacob Webster, Local Democracy Reporter