Council tax band checker website crashes after Chancellor says millions will get £100 energy bill discount in Budget

Council tax band checker website crashes after Chancellor says millions will get £100 energy bill discount in Budget People flocking to the official council tax checker have forced the site to freeze, with Brits being greeted with a screen telling them there is 'a problem with the service' The Government's council tax checker has gone down in the wake of Chancellor John Healey's major announcement during today's Budget. Around 20 million households will get £100 from the Government this winter to help with energy bills. The Chancellor said households in council tax bands A to D will get the payments into their bank accounts, with the support costing £2.6 billion. Mr Healey said money would be given to devolved administrations and called on them to “do the same and give people of all nations in the UK breathing space on their energy bills this winter”. Brits have however reacted to the announcement by taking to the Government's official tax checker, which informs people of which band they fall into, and by extension whether they would be eligible for the cash infusion. Stay up to date with everything announced in our Budget 2026 live coverage. Brits trying to log in to check their banding this afternoon will be greeted with a screen telling them the service is experiencing difficulties. The webpage reads: "Sorry, there is a problem with the service. Try again later." The outage comes after Healey told the House of Commons the Government would give families "a bit of breathing space". He told the chamber: “Let me say this to families at home. I know that with the conflict in the Middle East, rising energy bills are a real worry. "I know that people look to Government at times like this, not to solve all their problems, but to give them a bit of breathing space. So today I’m taking one further step. This winter, for 20 million households in council tax bands A to D, I am announcing a £100 energy payment for households, paid directly into people’s bank accounts to deal with rising energy bills. “That’s a £2.6 billion scheme to take the pressure off in the coldest months and see people though to the spring.”