Charnwood Borough Council - POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE ALERT!!!

Debt_Tired

Having just sorted out my own problems (ESA), I am now confronted with my mum having her Housing Benefit and Council Tax Rebate being stopped, because her council (Charnwood Borough Council) have accused her of being in receipt of a £1000 a week pension!!!

Obviously this is wrong. My mum gets per state pension and that's it!!!

She is 72 next month!!! She is very upset and so am I, because I can't afford to see her and sort things out. I'm pooping myself because I'm worried about her health.

First they stopped her housing benefit and today they have stopped her council tax rebate. They are also demanding money and have threatened her with court action.

I understand that my mum has presented the council with proof that she only gets the state pension, but that was weeks ago. What does it take for the Charnwood Borough Council to pull their finger out and sort this? Perhaps I should phone my mate who works in local radio, which covers Loughborough. Perhaps a phone call to BBC Watchdog?

My mum has the phone number of the local CAB, but I don't think my mum is up to doing anything. I have asked her to see her doctor. All help appreciated. Also, does anyone know the heads of department involved in this?

Debt Tired

joandkaz1

do it!!! Id call your local mps office asap or email them. They usually answer swiftly

RAS

Find out the name of her local councillors.

Sort out the exact story with mum (like the date she took proof of her pension and to whom exactly, when exactly).

E-mail them with mum's consent and book her into a surgery with the councillors this weekend if possible.

fluffymovie

First off, threats to go to the press won't get you very far. Watchdog won't be interested but you can do a lot more to help your mum.

First, when the council reassess a claim, they issue notices of decision which detail her right of appeal. It would be helpful to find out where the £1000 figure has come from. In my LA, we use a fictional high income of £999 if there is a concern over income. For example. A gap in JSA. We then write and ask for evidence and reassess as required.

Was your mum on pension credit which has recently stopped? Was she asked to provide some information?

With regards to the Ctax. She would be issued a bill, then a reminder, some places would send a final, then a summons to court, and only then would court be possible so if this is all recent, court action is a while off.

Have they told you what the £1000 was from? This info would really help

withabix

Good reply from the Councillor above, but personally for any public sector incompetence like this, I would go straight for the jugular and contact your MP.

Your MP is Stephen Dorrell. Contact him.

His email address is:info@stephendorrell.org.uk

His website is here: http://www.stephendorrell.org.uk/


Cause as much trouble and work as possible for your incompetent borough council staff.

That might help to teach them how to do their jobs.

Pollycat

Some good advice - but I think you really need to sort out exactly what has happened here and when before going in with guns blazing.

Collate all the letters and visits and then do a brief report so you have all the relevant (and accurate) facts to present to whoever you are going to speak to.
e.g. when was she first advised that her HB was to be stopped?
What subsequent letters (if any) she had about this and date?
How did your Mum tell the Council that they had her state pension amount wrong (phone, personal visit)?

I know from experience it's sometimes hard to get the full facts from elderly people.
I also know from experience that some of the letters that come from Councils can be confusing and abrupt.

I hope you get this sorted out for your Mum, do let us know how it goes.

BJV

Must be horrible, I hope that your Mum does not get too distressed by it, ( even though I know it will be hard for her ) and it is a horrible situation.

Totally agree with Pollycat. Gather as much information, facts dates and supporting evidence. It can be very difficult to represent such a case as it is such an emotional subject for you. So that you don't forget anything a chronological summary will help.

Pollycat

You may not have noticed but you have already had your previous posts on this thread removed.

That is probably because you need permission from MSE to post in the capacity that you are doing - even though you have offered to help.

Re the OP, he/she has not been back on this forum since 27/4 at 4:35pm.
That was when there were only 2 replies to this thread and well before my reply and maybe before yours so they may not even have seen your offer to try to help.

Maybe the OP is busy trying to get this sorted out or, after further discussion with her Mum, it may have turned out that the situation described in the first post was not actually the case.

Sometimes people just need to rant.

I know that I've had garbled conversations on the phone with my elderly parents about some letter they've received but when I've gone up hot-foot to check it out, it's just a storm in a teacup and nothing like the calamity they've said it was.

Debt_Tired

Sorted!!!

Mum says it was an error on the part of Charnwood Borough Council, though strangely things weren't sorted until after I posted the original message to this thread.

Many, many thanks for all your support on this matter - very much appreciated.

Debt Tired xxxx

Pollycat

I'm glad it's sorted, thanks for letting us know.

Debt_Tired wrote: »

Sorted!!!

Mum says it was an error on the part of Charnwood Borough Council

So how did the error happen?

And how did it get sorted?

Your original post said that there'd been letters from the Council threatening legal action and 'demanding money'?
Why didn't they believe your Mum when she presented proof?

Were they still sending threatening letters AFTER she provided proof?

Has your Mum had a written apology from the Council over this?

Debt_Tired wrote: »

First they stopped her housing benefit and today they have stopped her council tax rebate. They are also demanding money and have threatened her with court action.

I understand that my mum has presented the council with proof that she only gets the state pension, but that was weeks ago.