Vale of Glamorgan Council's leader has apologised for the delay in some residents receiving the £150 cost of living payments. 

In a letter posted to social media yesterday (June 27), Cllr Lis Burnett acknowledged some people in the county are still waiting for payments to be made and what actions have been put in place to resolve the issues. 

Those who pay Council tax via direct debit should have already received the £150 payment which was transferred straight to their accounts. 

Cllr Burnett said: "Approximately 34,000 people in the Vale are eligible for £150 cost-of-living payments and our staff are working to get the money out to those eligible as quickly as possible. 

"The first payments were made to those who pay their Council Tax by direct debit (17,000) as we already have their bank details on record. 

"The next step was to make the rest of the process as streamlined as possible and that is why the letters with QR codes and internet links were used as they help us to process applications quickly. 

"For those without access to the internet or smartphones, we also set up a dedicated phone line for enquiries (01446 709114). 

"We sent out 16,000 letters at the end of last week and so far, we have processed payments to 2,000 of those with another 1,000 pending. 

"They should receive their payment within the next 3-5 days. Please accept my apologies for the long delays people are experiencing on the telephone lines." 

The council's contact centre has also experienced a high volume of calls regarding the payment delay. Cllr Burnett continued: "Today (June 27) alone our contact centre has dealt with over 2,000 calls and more than 100 people have called into the Civic Offices in person. 

"We are working to provide additional resources to deal with the enquiries and apologise to customers who are contacting us for other reasons and are also having difficulties getting through." 

Cllr Burnett also addressed an issue with a response to application statuses. "Thank you to those who pointed out an issue with the wording of 'Application Rejected'," she said. 

"This has now been changed to 'Application Under Review' as there are some additional checks to be completed and customers who now receive the new message are being told that the payment will be made to their bank account within ten working days. 

"We know how difficult life is for very many of our residents at the moment and we are working through the payments as fast as we can. 

"I have asked for regular updates which I will pass on to you. If in the interim, you can wait a few days before calling it would help us support those in greatest need. 

"We are also working out the final details for our discretionary Cost of Living scheme which will distribute a further £825,000. 

"More details of that are available here."