A £150 payment to support Carmarthenshire residents with the cost-of-living crisis has been delayed again, with some residents expected to wait four months for support.
It has been announced this week that residents who pay council tax via Direct Debit may now not receive their £150 payment until the end of June. Council taxpayers using by means are not expected to receive the payment until the end of the summer.
With the Office of Budget Responsibility stating that 2022-2023 will see the biggest fall in living standards in the UK since records began, the Welsh Labour Government created a £380m support package, including the Winter Fuel Support Scheme and a £150 cost-of-living payment for households in Council tax bands A-D and to all households who receive support from the Council Tax Reduction Scheme.
Neighbouring authorities such as Swansea and Neath Port Talbot have already provided the support, or are in the process of making payments to their local residents.
Carmarthenshire Labour have written to the new Plaid Cymru Council Leader, Darren Price, to urge that he intervene and speed up the delivery of the payments to local residents to the initially revised date.
Cllr Rob James stated “It is deeply disappointing that the cost-of-living payments in Carmarthenshire have been delayed once more, especially when residents were promised these payments by the end of April initially.
“The cost-of-living crisis is causing extraordinary pressure on households budgets and we need to be moving heaven and earth to get these payments out of the door as soon as possible.
“Residents were initially promised the £150 by the end of April and a couple of weeks ago this was revised to end of May. We now hear those residents who pay by Council Tax by Direct Debit may now not receive the payment by end of June. These are individuals who the Council already have the bank details for.
“The constant reviewing of the date for making payments to local residents is also causing confusion and our excellent contact service staff are struggling with the increased workload this delay has caused.
“It’s time that this Plaid Cymru administration got a grip of the situation, as these payments are needed now.”
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