Council tax checker website CRASHES during Budget as bill payers race to see if they can claim £100 energy payment this winter

Published: 11:01 EDT, 28 October 2026 | Updated: 11:15 EDT, 28 October 2026 The government council tax checker crashed after people flooded to check the website to see if they qualify for a £100 energy payment announced in the Budget.John Healey, the Chancellor, announced the package for every household in council tax bands A to D during this afternoon's Budget statement.But within minutes of the revelation, the government's website crashed.An error message appeared after typing in your postcode, reading: 'Sorry, there is a problem with the service. Try again later.'The £100 payment, at a total cost of £2.6billion, has been interpreted as Mr Healey's 'rabbit from the hat' - which refers to the history of Chancellors producing a surprise, good-news measure in the Budget.He said it would be straight into people's bank accounts, as part of a raft of measures aimed at easing the pressure from energy bills. One of Mr Healey's main priorities going into the Budget was to give hard-pressed families some 'breathing space'.He also announced from the dispatch box the stripping of VAT from electricity bills would be extended until July 2027. The government website crashed after the Chancellor's announcement John Healey produced a 'rabbit from the hat' when he revealed a £100 payment for households in the lowest tax bandsEarlier this morning, the government said it would overhaul standing charges on gas bills - a fixed charge paid by everyone - to be replaced with charges per unit used.Consumer finance expert Martin Lewis, who had long campaigned for the measure, was invited into Number 11 Downing Street as the news broke.However, the £108-a-year levies will not be removed until at least next year - and many bigger families will end up being worse off, as the costs will be moved on to unit costs for gas.This is a breaking news story, refresh for updates.