More than 20,000 households in Great Yarmouth will receive their £150 tax rebate payments next week.

Great Yarmouth Borough Council is making the payments to eligible council tax payers in bands A-D who use direct debit to settle their bills, as part of the government's scheme to offer help with rising energy costs.

People who pay their council tax by direct debit and make their first payment in April will get the money automatically in the first week of May without needing to do anything, as the council already holds their bank details.

Great Yarmouth Borough Council leader Carl Smith said: “We know people are keen to receive the £150 energy payment and we have been working hard to update our software systems to make this new payment as quickly as possible.

“Direct debit payers represent more than 60pc of eligible households, and we know that receiving this £150 payment will make a big difference to many residents.

“For other residents we will in touch within the next few weeks to arrange payments. Residents should be very careful about giving out bank details, and never respond to unexpected phone calls or texts asking for bank details.”

Council tax payers who pay by direct debit but with a first instalment later than an April date should receive their payment within a month of that first direct debit payment.

As part of fraud checks, a small number of payments can’t be made where bank account details don’t match the name of the council tax payer.

If this is the case, the council will automatically contact residents to confirm payment details over the next few weeks – there is no need to contact the council.

Unlike the £200 energy rebate being paid via electricity and gas bills in the autumn, this is a one-off payment that does not need to be repaid and won't affect future bills.

The tax rebate will be welcome news for many with soaring inflation and rising energy prices pushing living costs up by hundreds of pounds per year.

Breckland Council has handed out over £5 million in rebate payments as part of efforts to help counter the impact of the cost of living crisis.

The council is encouraging people in the district to check their bank accounts over the next few days to check their £150 council tax rebate has come through.

Our recent survey of 2,500 households in Norfolk and Waveney showed many have been affected by the steep rises in the cost of living.

However, council tax bills have also increased this year across the county, ranging from a rise of £44 for band B properties and £30 for band A.