Nearly 10,000 of the poorest people in Bolton may still be missing out on their £150 council tax rebate, a leading councillor has warned.

The rebate was introduced by the government to help people struggling with soaring bills and was approved by Bolton Council in April.

But Cllr Paul Heslop, of One Kearsley, has warned that many people who do not pay their tax by direct debit or who don’t have bank accounts, who also tend to be the least well off in society, may still be missing out.

He said: “When I was assisting one resident with their online application, there appeared to be only two options, credit to the individual’s bank account or crediting the £150 to the Council Tax account.”

Cllr Heslop added: “Nationally, approximately 1.3 million adults do not have a bank account and if indicative of the national figure, this represents nearly 10,000 adults in this borough.

“It is widely accepted that it is the least well-off who do not have bank accounts, the very people who now desperately need help with their utility bills!”

Cllr Heslop estimates that as many as 1,500 households per ward could be missing out and says he intends to put this point to the council at a full meeting later this month.

He will ask the council leadership to confirm its timetable for giving out the payments to people without direct debits and for details on how it will get the message across about what people are entitled to.

The Kearsley councillor says he will also be asking how the council will help get the payments to people without internet access and if it will be able to pay in cash in some cases.

He will also ask how much money in total the council will receive from the government to run the £150 payment scheme and how this has been broken down into the various methods.

The full council meeting will take place on Wednesday June 22 at which point Cllr Heslop will have the chance to ask his questions publicly and hear answers.