Council Tax arrears PLEASE HELP ME

alison999

The council wouldnt let me set up another Direct Debit because 2 payments had bounced previously which mean that the full lot was due.

I rang the council and the girl I spoke to said that even if I dont pay it, I will have to pay court costs but then the amount could be spread over a longer period making it easier to pay.

I thought this was the best thing to do.

I couldnt pay this and got a court summons, on it it had another plan, to pay around £400 p/month until March.

I signed to say I would pay this thinking I could just about stretch it but now Im worried incase I cant.

I rang them today and explained what the other girl had said, the girl I spoke to today said I have to wait until AFTER the court date to be able to set up this new pay agreement. She said to just pay something so it shows that I am trying. I owe about £1,800 altogether

Now Im worried that after this court date baliffs will just come and take mine and my childrens things or that I will get sent to prison in which case what will happen to my children????!!!!

Im really worried over this and I have personal problems, suffer with stress & anxiety already and honestly just feel like ending it all. It is only thinking of my children that stops my from going through with that.

savingmummy

Sorry your feeling so stressed over it all. Try not worry too much.
You are doing the best thing by keeping in touch with them about things as it will be on record.
If you are not sure you can pay the £400/mth then obviously this will need to be rearranged asap.
Balliffs cannot come into your home without a warrant.

May be worth you posting your SOA here, we may beable to help/advise you to enable the repayments to be a little easier.

Hope things settle for you soon.

Cooky667

Howdy!

Have you thought about arranging to speak to your councillor about the situation? They may or may not be able to help but it shows you are trying to sort things out and you can make them work for you....that is what they are there for.

hattiefats

Just wanted to say I think you have shown you are doing everything you can by staying in contact with them and trying to resolve the issue. I am sure you are not looking at time in prison as you are willing to pay and have just got behind on things. If they put everyone in jail who did that half of us would be in there with you.Try not to stress too much, it will all work out.
Take care

Amber07

Council tax is the bane of my life, it's th first thing I try and pay, knowing if I get behind they are fierce about chasing it up (or increasing it by 10% if they have to send an arrears letter)

As others have said, stay in contact with them and keep trying to set up a new payment. There's no point in paying more than you can afford and leaving yourself in trouble elsewhere. Until you get things set up, pay as much as you feasibly can in the meantime, to demonstrate you are willing to pay it.

Good luck, let us know how you get on x

CIS

I work in council tax recovery.

Its standard practice to insist the summons goes ahead and liability order issued to allow the council further recovery options if you were to default on a further arragement.

It is also common practice to allow a longer arrangement plan as again the council have legal powers if you default.

Once a liability order is issued the council can choose, in the first instance, to make an arrangement, issue an attachment of earnings/benefit or instruct a bailiff. Before a bailiff can be instructed a regulation 36 notice (request for information form) must be issued for you to complete and return.

alison999

Thank you to everyone for all your help. I just feel like everything is spiralling out of control right now. I gave up my job in December because I was so stressed out and crying all the time etc I just wasnt healthy, not, of course I'm struggling for money - before I left my job I was saying 'id rather eat beans on toast every night then go through this day after day', but in reality its different.

Im applying for every job I can, including one mond-fri and one sat & sun, if I got both of those I know Id be tired but 6 months down the line Id probably be able to give the weekend one up.

I feel like everyone and his wife wants money from me now but thers only so much to go around sometimes I feel like my head is going to explode

Nessynoo

Pay what you can (regularly) before you can make an official payment arrangement. Have you thought about a standing order if they wont let you pay by DD?

Get to the doctor for help with your feelings.

Apply for ctax benefit straight away if you havn't already. You may be entitled to some help which will reduce your bill.

You can do it - things will get better.

dancingfairy

Hi - they can't just send you to prison - there are more steps to go before you get that far - and how is it going to look to the general public if they send people to prison willy nilly? Prison is a last resort for those that are trying to play the system (and avoid paying anything for years) or being difficult - clearly you are doing your best but struggling - trust me there is a big difference between the 2.
The council should let you come to an agreement once it has been to court as if you fail to keep an agreement THEN they can pass it on to the bailiffs.
The advice you have been given by the council so far appears to have been correct - pay what you can as IF it ever got to a prison hearing (which is highly highly highly unlikely) then they would see that you are trying.
Make sure you are getting any discounts ie single person and any benefits due it council tax benefit or housing benefit etc.
You would probably be wise to have a chat to your local CAB or phone National Debtline or CCCS just to have a chat through the situation with them and to reassure yourself that you are doing the right things.
Also you should be able to find factsheets on council tax on National Debtlines website.
df

alison999

Thank you Nessynoo Ive been to the doctor and was put on antidepressents most of last year.

Might sound stupid but these made me very forgetful, Id think Id done things when I hadnt (inc. paying bills, my dd lunchbox loads of things) and I couldnt concentrate on anything. I also thought work was the problem, and it was for the most part, it was awful there but now Im thinking 'at least the bills were paid'

alison999

dancingfairy wrote: »

Hi - they can't just send you to prison - there are more steps to go before you get that far - and how is it going to look to the general public if they send people to prison willy nilly? Prison is a last resort for those that are trying to play the system (and avoid paying anything for years) or being difficult - clearly you are doing your best but struggling - trust me there is a big difference between the 2.
The council should let you come to an agreement once it has been to court as if you fail to keep an agreement THEN they can pass it on to the bailiffs.
The advice you have been given by the council so far appears to have been correct - pay what you can as IF it ever got to a prison hearing (which is highly highly highly unlikely) then they would see that you are trying.
Make sure you are getting any discounts ie single person and any benefits due it council tax benefit or housing benefit etc.
You would probably be wise to have a chat to your local CAB or phone National Debtline or CCCS just to have a chat through the situation with them and to reassure yourself that you are doing the right things.
Also you should be able to find factsheets on council tax on National Debtlines website.
df

thanks for all that, ill have a look at that website