Customer service delays likely due to high volume of calls at Sefton Council

We are currently experiencing a high volume of calls to our Contact Centre and requests to our Council Tax Teams in part due to the cost of living crisis, the £150 Council Tax Energy Rebate, local elections, allocation of school places and the administration of the Homes for Ukraine Scheme  .  Both teams are currently prioritising supporting the most vulnerable, the processing of the £150 energy rebate to 114 000 households  and those in need of help and support from our Emergency Limited Assistance Scheme. 

As at 27^th April the teams have processed the £150 Energy Rebate to 45,256 households (Council Tax Bands A – D). These payments have been made to  households that have paid Council Tax by Direct Debit where the instalment was paid between 1st – 18th April.  For those whose direct debit is paid from 19^th to the 28^th April their rebate will be paid by mid-May.  For households in Bands A to D that do not pay by direct debit we will be writing to them by 6^th May to collect information from them that will enable us to process their rebate over the coming months. 

We appreciate that the current response times will be frustrating people trying to contact the Council so we have taken steps to recruit and train additional staff and our staff are working extra hours to help meet the demand. We would encourage people to use online processes wherever possible.