Council Tax Summons - Please Help

slimer3k

Hello,

My wife and I have each received a summons for our council Tax.

We moved in on Aug 2010, and my wife was a student from Sep, so they split the bill up in two portions, £31-18 for Aug - Sep and £530 for Aug - March 11.

I recieved a reminder notice on 19 Jan a portion that we owed for both these amounts on separate letters (£31-18 and £176-12).

On 10th Feb a phoned them and told them to take the full amount I owed them, and to start a DD for all future payments. They said that I should wait on the DD because it might take the payment twice, but not to worry as I had now paid all that I owed, simply pay the March payment (due on 1/3/2011), and the start a DD.

But today we both received the summons for the £31-18 (and £100 costs).

What can I do about this? I told them to take the full amount. I asked them for a receipt but they never sent one, I know now that I should of chased that up and checked but I didn't.

Please help!

Edited for bad spelling!

CIS

If a reminder was issued on 19 jan 2011 then you had until 26 Jan 2011 to pay the missing instalment or you would lose the right to pay by instalments.

By 10 Feb 2011 you would have lost the right to the instalments and so it would be at their discretion as to whether they would take any payment arrangement without the summons being issue and a liability order being obtained.

Most authorities will accept payment after you have lost the right to instalments only on the basis that they will issue the summons and obtain the liability order if the balance was not paid in full by the court date.

You need to speak to the council and find out what has happened - each council has slightly different policies on whether they will, at their discretion, not obtain a court summons in these circumstances.

slimer3k

Thanks for the reply.

I phones them up today and they said they were very sorry for the mix up. They took the payment and said that was the end of it.

I'm happy with that!