Council tax debt - please can someone advise me.

Hopeful1

Hi LisaB.

How maddening that they won't liase with you. I don't know enough about how councils work. I did wonder if the bailiffs are proper court bailiffs or are they just debt collectors?

I would keep writing to anyone and everyone you can think of about this - make a real nusiance of yourself. If at all possible, i would also start making the payments you have offered. Can you pay online or send a cheque / postal order? If they accept these payments but still try to take further action it will make them all look very unreasonable.

I hope you can get this sorted.

Ames

Are you absolutely sure about that, have you applied? I was entitled to IS as a full time student because I'm disabled, and I'm sure there are similar rules for single parents. Maybe you could contact a welfare rights advisor such as CAB? Although you have to have contact hours (note it's contact hours and doesn't include home study) of less than 15 or 16 hours a week, I can't remember exactly what it is.

LisaB1970

Hopeful1 wrote: »

Hi LisaB.

How maddening that they won't liase with you. I don't know enough about how councils work. I did wonder if the bailiffs are proper court bailiffs or are they just debt collectors?

I would keep writing to anyone and everyone you can think of about this - make a real nusiance of yourself. If at all possible, i would also start making the payments you have offered. Can you pay online or send a cheque / postal order? If they accept these payments but still try to take further action it will make them all look very unreasonable.

I hope you can get this sorted.

I have tried to pay them using a council reference number on the bailiffs letter so hopefully they will accept that. I never thought of making a nuisance of myself lol, but i will give that a go! Thanks!

Ames - Im at University and my course id funded by the NHS so i thinkt hats why i cant claim anything. I have been told i can claim IS in the holidays though when im not at uni. But i will have another look into it all. Thankyou.

Ames

Ah right, I'm not sure how NHS bursaries affect it. You've nothing to lose by applying though!

saffronflowers

Just write to them with the information Herbie and I have quoted and see what they say, it should put hte account into dispure.

SFx

LisaB1970

UPDATE: I've just had a call from Bristow & Sutor who said that they have spoken to the council and they are willing to take £20 per month from me - the original offer i made.
However i have spent all day trying to get as much info as possible about this and am now going to ask questions as to why its taken the council over 6 years to pursue this as i believe this is a ridiculous amount of time to try and enforce this. I have lived in council property for the past 5 and a half years and have been in receipt of housing benefit since then as i have been studying for most of the 5 years so its not like i disappeared.
B & S said i can pay them £20 by next monday and a further £20 each month thereafter, so im going to do this whilst i am pursuing my complaint against the council.

saffronflowers

Lisa - B&S have not spoken to the council they just realise that they are treading on a very fine line hoping you dont realise that they should not be persuing it - just write to the head of revenues of you concil and point out the info we have give you and say that unless they agree with the info then you will go to the LGO

SFx

LisaB1970

OMG!! Really? The woman on the phone sounded so convincing! She rang me and said she would call the council, then rang me back and said they would accept £20 a month. I thought it was odd that i have to pay B & S direct and not the council!

moneymare

saffronflowers wrote: »

Lisa - B&S have not spoken to the council they just realise that they are treading on a very fine line hoping you dont realise that they should not be persuing it - just write to the head of revenues of you concil and point out the info we have give you and say that unless they agree with the info then you will go to the LGO

SFx

How do you know this? The OP has already said that a Liability Order HAS been granted and therefore the 6 year Statute doesn't come into play.

I would advise you again to contact the Council and request that due to the age of the debt, and your personal circumstances, they consider taking the account back at the rate of £20pm

LisaB1970

I have contacted the council this morning and again asked why it had taken so long for them to contact me, and that i had to pay the bailiff now, and the conversation went something like this:

Council Bloke: I noticed you changed your name in 2003" (i changed it back to my mothers maiden name)
Me: Yes i did
Him: Thats why we havent been able to find you
Me: Rubbish! Just because my name has changed is not a viable excuse. I got the tenancy for this COUNCIL house in my married name, and i claimed housing benefit in that name so thats rubbish.
Him: Hmmm...i cant really see any correspondence relating to this but it is old, we must have something.
Me: If you can see right back to 2001 then you can see whether theres any correspondence and obvioulsy there isnt so am i looking at a case of maladministration?
Him: errrrr...let me just speak with my supervisor (off he goes and im left istening to obscure music)
Him: Hello - well its because you changed your name
Me: No it isnt - if someone had done their job properly then it would have been a simple tally.
Him: Did you leave a forwarding address?
Me: I cant remember it was bloody years back!
Him: Oh well that might be it then
Me: Again thats rubbish - i moved straight to a council house for gods sake! I just want to know why its taken you 6 years to action this and have now sent in bailiffs with no warning at all.
Him: Errr, Well if you want to complain then here's the name of the manager.

With that i took some details and will be firing off a letter today. He told me there had been NO correspondence since the liability order over 6 years ago so i am going to lodge a complaint.

In the meantime - do i pay the bailiff or do i write to them and tell them whats going on and request that action be put on hold until its sorted?