MSE News: Council tax bills can be spread over a year from April

le_loup

garden_girl wrote: »

You then can ring them and say you want to change, they will then reissue the bill.

Well it all makes work for the working man to do!

katejo

le_loup wrote: »

You are supposed to be an MSE! You have £30 to save for each of the first 10 month. That's about, what? ...£300.
Oh dear, oh dear, mumble, mumble ...

Sorry but I don't get your point! It feels as though I have some money spare in Feb/March to use for something else.

katejo

le_loup wrote: »

Well it all makes work for the working man to do!

Flanders & Swann?

Savvy_Sue

Cheshire_Saver wrote: »

just tried to do this with local council, and despite the fact that the existing ddr comes out from our joint account, and if it didn't get paid they'd chase me for the money (as we're both liable to pay the council tax bill as resident owners !) they are insisting on speaking to my husband to change from 10 payments to 12 !

When I asked how they would know it was my husband, they replied they would ask him his name and address !

Should I ring back with a deep voice ? :mad:

If you're going to do data protection, at least do it properly !

Can you register online? I don't get a paper bill any more, but as long as one of us can login, we can email and ask for the change (which I have).

LittleMissAspie

I'm glad I've finally found some mention of this. I got my bill the other day and there was nothing about paying over 12 months on it, I searched the council's website too and there's nothing on there.

I didn't realise there might be a deadline as I thought the information on how to do it would be included with the bill, am I too late???

mushtiff

I requested to change from 10 to 12 monthly payments, and my bill (from Oxford City Council) has gone up by £31.44 as a result! Total amount revised amended "because you have changed your payment method to Direct Debit 12 instalments". Surely that's not right? Has anyone else had this happen?

grey_gym_sock

oh ... do they offer a discount for DD for 10 instalments, but not for DD in 12? ... or is it changing the method of payment that matters?

le_loup

mushtiff wrote: »

I requested to change from 10 to 12 monthly payments, and my bill (from Oxford City Council) has gone up by £31.44 as a result! Total amount revised amended "because you have changed your payment method to Direct Debit 12 instalments". Surely that's not right? Has anyone else had this happen?

Well, of course that's not right. Have you contacted them?
You'll get more change from them than you will from us!

mrfrostie

North Somerset Council apparently put everyone who requested to pay their council tax over 12 months on a spread sheet.....and forgot to set up the Direct Debit!
I requested the 12 month payment plan on March 22nd and the lady said no problem the Direct Debit would be set up and payment of £107 would be taken on the 20th of every month.
On May 20th I received a Demand for £258 to be paid within 7 days or face a court summons the letter was dated 13th May so had zero days to pay! I had been away and not noticed the non-payment.
The rather curt call-centre said that the Direct debit has now been set up and will run from June 13-March 14 over 10 months and obviously at the full monthly rate! defeating the whole object of spreading the cost
what was worst there was no apology no notification of the mistake and she instigated I was to blame for not seeing the DD hadnt been paid!:rotfl:

4$£&*(£$&*(!

My council has told me they can switch me to 12 month debits but I have to select either 9th, 18th or 27th of a month - none of them around payday, otherwise they will only do it over 11 months if I want collection on the 1st.

I like all my bills to come out around payday so I know how much pocket money I have. Their argument is they do not collect council tax on 1 April and I don't understand this.

I moved between local authorities last year and my old council did 12 months billing on the first of the month, is there some central government guidance on this or do I have to lump what my council are telling me?