Can council take CT off my JSA?

wwwigz

I get approx £35 every 2 weeks taken off my JSA for council tax, not CT arrears. I also have a £9.99/2 weeks reduction on my JSA for social fund repayments.

This is leaving me with less than £85 every 2 weeks.
Out of that I pay £5 water, approx £60 food, and I'm trying to pay something off my rent arrears (not very much) I also have to buy a canister of gas (£60) every 2-3 months, which I can't afford now because of the substantial reductions on my JSA.

I talked to the jobcentre and local council today who both ask me to put my request for reduced reductions in writing, which I will do.

I was also recommended by the jobcentre to apply for a budgeting loan. Which is to be posted today, but my last BL application was refused on the grounds that I already owe the social fund (approx £230) - yet the limit is £1500? (Or a greater amount at least)

I have a few questions for the very helpful people on this board, I hope you can help

1 - Can the Council actually take CT payments (Not arrears) directly from my JSA? If not how can I rectify this?

2 - Why are they doing this when I have previously had CT benefit?

3 - Is there anything else I can be doing to help reduce these reductions, and get my HB & CT paid in full?

They really are squeezing me and its only now that I have no gas (my heating, hot water and cooking) that things are tipping past manageable.

Work is on the way, but not for the next few months - I won't be able to hold on that long!

Any advice would be great.

Thank you.

Hammyman

1) Yes.
2) Because you have most likely had arrears in the past and not made payments.
3) Other than what you have done, pay the bill. The amount deducted from JSA is worked out to a strict set of rules.

Sam____2

I'd look at cutting back on your food bill, £60 a fortnight for 1 person is very high, for someone who is struggling for cash. Try having a look at the old style money saving board etc for some ideas.

CIS

They cannot recover direct from your JSA unless they are unable to recover via your Council Tax account and they can then attempt to collect arrears direct from DWP (this a very very rare method of recovery) . The usual method is to charge the arrears back to your Council Tax account and recover via Council Tax law.

Under Council Tax law any Council Tax payments will not be taken from your JSA unless a Laibility Order has been granted and an Attachment of Benefit Order has been issued - this would be at £3.40 per week. An ongoing Council Tax charge cannot be taken from your JSA with the Liability Order.

It sounds like you are having HB recovered - you need to speak with the council to find out exactly what is being recovered.

richard9991

wwwigz wrote: »

I get approx £35 every 2 weeks taken off my JSA for council tax, not CT arrears. I also have a £9.99/2 weeks reduction on my JSA for social fund repayments.

This is leaving me with less than £85 every 2 weeks.
Out of that I pay £5 water, approx £60 food, and I'm trying to pay something off my rent arrears (not very much) I also have to buy a canister of gas (£60) every 2-3 months, which I can't afford now because of the substantial reductions on my JSA.

I talked to the jobcentre and local council today who both ask me to put my request for reduced reductions in writing, which I will do.

I was also recommended by the jobcentre to apply for a budgeting loan. Which is to be posted today, but my last BL application was refused on the grounds that I already owe the social fund (approx £230) - yet the limit is £1500? (Or a greater amount at least)

I have a few questions for the very helpful people on this board, I hope you can help

1 - Can the Council actually take CT payments (Not arrears) directly from my JSA? If not how can I rectify this?

2 - Why are they doing this when I have previously had CT benefit?

3 - Is there anything else I can be doing to help reduce these reductions, and get my HB & CT paid in full?

They really are squeezing me and its only now that I have no gas (my heating, hot water and cooking) that things are tipping past manageable.

Work is on the way, but not for the next few months - I won't be able to hold on that long!

Any advice would be great.

Thank you.

the max ammount a budget loan for a single person is £348

wwwigz

Thank you all for your replies.
After a number of lengthy phone calls I think I've gotten to the bottom of this.

CT are taking the maximum allowed (£3.40) off my JSA, which stems from a CT bill from a property I lived in with an ex partner 6 years ago. The CT people failed to get the payments off my ex partner, so have proceeded to get payments via attachment order. I had no notification from CT about this and that is where the confusion lies. But now I know.
I was unaware that they have been trying to find either my ex partner or me; the CT people said that if it is an attachment order, they do not need to notify me, the DWP has to do that. Which they seemingly didn't do thouroughly enough!

The other £24 is social fund repayments, and the deductions are still getting to much regardless of who is taking payments.

Sam - I also have my 8 year old son come and stay for average 3 days/nights a week, so it's not just for me, and to be honest with you I don't want to eat very cheap highly procesed food; I try to buy the freshest and most healthiest food for my son and I. I also forage a lot and know lots about wild mushrooms, hedgerow food etc. But I will take a look at the old style money saving board, thank you.

iris

Have a look at this excellent site.

http://www.cheap-family-recipes.org.uk/index.html

Hammyman

wwwigz wrote: »

I also forage a lot and know lots about wild mushrooms, hedgerow food etc.

My hat off to you. It is a virtually dead activity with lots of knowledge going to waste.