council tax

rafhelp

would you say council tax covers mainly things like emptying of bins?

If so if your bins arent emptied or you receive a bad service like them strewing your bin like 100metres down the alley toppled on its side, would you have a case for not paying CT or receiving some refund?

I think my local council is run by incompetent staff. I have benn recieving letters from them with my correct name and details, then when they send me the first invoice for CT its addressed to someone else in my family who has nothing to do with it. Isnt this incompetence and even breach of confidentiality? I suppose at the end of the day its not really any sensitive information like health issue, or bank details etc.. but what if it was, or what if you didnt want other people you lived with to know particulars about your tenancy?

DomRavioli

No, incorrect collection of bins isn't a reason to stop paying your council tax. And unless you have definitive proof that they maliciously put your bin out of the collection area (remember, they are light when empty so the wind can and will take them, as well as small children and young adults) then you likely have grounds for a complaint.

If you stop paying your council tax, then you will be taken to court, with either a fine plus arrears and costs, or even imprisonment. Not worth it in my book.

It is likely that the letter you received is automated, and you will need to contact them to tell them of the error - if they don't know how can they fix it? It isn't incompetence as such, it is probably a system generated error, and unlikely to be a breach of confidentiality as again it is system generated and does not display information which is unavailable in the public domain.

I think you have a touch of paranoia, but not a leg to stand on I'm afraid.

coffeelover65

Yes, its part of the Council Tax Regulations 1992 in the non payment rules, hopefully CIS will be along shortly to better explain it.

Also, if you're interested there's a similar regulation for Income Tax which allow you to not pay any income tax if you feel the UK government isn't spending money wisely.

Let us know how you get on with your non payment strategy.

[Deleted User]

and OP your benefits question is?

p00hsticks

My council tax bill came with a detailed breakdown of how income from council tax is spent - if yours didn't then perhaps look on your local council website or contact them for details for details ?

But emptying of bins will account for a tiny proportion of your bill.

I don't really follow what you are saying regarding the addressing of the bill. As I live alone, I can't speak from experience, but my understanding is that council tax is billed per household, not per individual, and will usually be sent to the 'head of household' .

If you are saying that a bill is arriving addressed to another individual in your family who lives at the same address then surely it is their bill, not yours ?

If you are saying that they have got your name wrong, and made it the same as another member of the family who lives elsewhere, then that member if the family is not going to see it.

As DomRavioli says, if they have made an error in your name or address, or of you're not sure if the bill is meant for you , then you just need to contact them and let them know.

CIS

would you say council tax covers mainly things like emptying of bins?

Council Tax isn't for specific council services, its meant to collect money for a general fund which will be used to pay for the a large part of any council spending.

I have benn recieving letters from them with my correct name and details, then when they send me the first invoice for CT its addressed to someone else in my family who has nothing to do with it

No one else here can help in respect of this matter - you need to speak to the council to find out what has happened.

rafhelp

DomRavioli wrote: »

No, incorrect collection of bins isn't a reason to stop paying your council tax. And unless you have definitive proof that they maliciously put your bin out of the collection area (remember, they are light when empty so the wind can and will take them, as well as small children and young adults) then you likely have grounds for a complaint.

If you stop paying your council tax, then you will be taken to court, with either a fine plus arrears and costs, or even imprisonment. Not worth it in my book.

It is likely that the letter you received is automated, and you will need to contact them to tell them of the error - if they don't know how can they fix it? It isn't incompetence as such, it is probably a system generated error, and unlikely to be a breach of confidentiality as again it is system generated and does not display information which is unavailable in the public domain.

I think you have a touch of paranoia, but not a leg to stand on I'm afraid.

nah...its just that ive worked in professions where a single mistake like name, numbers can lead to serious problems for people, so when this happens to me i take it seriously. It is a serious matter if its addressed wrongly to someone else who then thinks they have to pay your bills. I have got a leg to stand on, but yes most people wont consider it a big deal, collection of bins is not a free service, the bin men are paid, which im sure is paid by tax payers, so yes you should expect a good reliable service, as with anything else. If your bins arent emptied when you put them out, it creates a problem with waste, mice etc.... I agree the bin could have been thrown half way down the street by anyone.

CIS

There are a multitude of reasons why the council tax demand was in another persons name - without knowing the ins and outs you can't say that it was an error rather than the council acting on information they have received.

For example, many times I've dealt with cases where people are insistent that the names on a council tax demand aren't the names they want on the notice but what they don't understand is that there is a multitude of legislation which decides these things and its not the council or tax payers decision.

rafhelp

im sure it wasnt . i contacted them and they said it was wrong name.