Council Tax Problem

nicsonian

I currently have a council tax debt that I have been paying off in £180 per month installments. I have been unemployed or atleast I haven't had a full time job since January and have been doing odd jobs to keep my mortgage and bills such as council tax paid, or atleast as up to date as possible.

However, I was lucky enough to land a great new job in October and have been working full time for the last couple of weeks. My first pay day is at the end of this month and this has left me unable to do any short term work for quick cash and therefore I am unable to pay my bills fully until I get that first pay packet.

I have made simple and easy arrangements with all my creditors (which isn't many) who have been happy to recieve reduced payments for one month and for me to then do catch up in a couple of weeks. But, the council tax people won't accept my situation and have given me 7 days to make the payment or they will add charges and possibly send the bailiff out. I simply haven't got the cash to give them and don't know what to do as I don't want the trouble??

Please help??????

cobnobbler

Speak to your local councillor and see if they can reason with the officials in the council tax dept? Sounds unusual to be honest, usually most councils are reasonable about this sort of thing.

juby_2002

hi, sorry for your situation.

no sound advise im afraid but was thinking that maybe CAB could help you?

could you try ring the council again to try and get to speak to someone different, the origional person might have been a right old xxxxx and just being difficult.

hope you get it sorted op,

Fire_Fox

If you already have an arrangement to pay and you breach it, council's are rarely sympathetic. Are you dealing with such a formal situation in writing? Have you already been to court for this debt, if so have you tried contacting the court to reduce your liability? Are you able to make token £1 payments to less important creditors in order to meet the council tax payment? According to the debt charities (CCCS, PayPlan) priority debts are rent/ mortgage, food, energy and council tax - everyone else should be given token amounts.

Whatever happens pay the council much as you can as soon as you can, even if the council tell you they will refuse the payment as this will look better if you need to go to court. Also never let a bailiff into your home, lock all doors and windows and don't leave the door open while you get ID or you have legally invited them in.

DVardysShadow

Can you make a £20 token payment to council tax? Do this with a letter of explanation and your plan to get back on track. Keep a copy. Stick to your plan.

Hopefully, a small payment will put you on the right side of a threshhold for taking action and will tend to undermine any case should they take action.

McKneff

Please also remember Bailiffs are never sent round until after a court case

CIS

Are you dealing with such a formal situation in writing? Have you already been to court for this debt, if so have you tried contacting the court to reduce your liability?

The Liability Order issued by a magistrate is based on whether a person is liable for the balance which is outstanding. The magistrate cannot remit or reduce this balance and the case cannot be passed back to the magistrate if a person feels they cannot afford payment - these issues are dealth with solely by the local authority.

The execption to the above is if there has been a committal hearing and the court holds a means enquiry and orders payment. In these case a default can earn a person a visit to a magistrate reagrding non payment.

nicsonian

Thank you everyone for your replies.

I have decided to take the advice given and do a combination of A) write a letter with token payment, which I understand won't be enough to stop further action, but will hopefully look better on me in future debate. And I'm going to pay the CAB a visit. Again I don't thnk this will make much difference, but atleast they won't be able to say I didn't make an effort to make some sort of an arrangement.

Its only 2 weeks to my first payday anyway, so hopefully they won't have time to take too much action before I catch up the payment.

Thanks again!

Mark_Hewitt

What are these extra charges they are talking about for non-payment?

neilmcl

Have you made a visit to the council offices to speak to someone in person, this may help .

woody01

Odd jobs?
Is that whilst claiming benefits?