new job // now Angry with Council tax !

Micbuk

HI all,


I was Unemployed for 14 months unitll Monday the 15th Feb.

SO I get a new temp job, Its going to last just 4 weeks paying £300 pw..
(Total £1200.)

So there is no income tax to pay as I have earned very little all year.


So what shall i get for my hard work job hunting ????

YES, a £650 Council tax bill covering 2013 + 14.
Plus a rent bill of £650.

Both of which need paying inside 2 week !!!

and of cource the council have sent my bill to a Enforcement agent. !!

Best of all the council have sent me a 2nd letter asking for a copy of my 4 week job contract. plus demanding a copy of my bank statement to make sure I don't owe any money for 2015/16 yet. !!!

- Annoyingly the job is 20 miles away, and £25 a week by train and of course the council office are open 9 -5. and they demand originals.
Grrrrr


I really can see why people either stay long term unemployed or Committ Suicide. !


THE QUESTION....

--- --- ---
IF i work the next 3 weeks... then rapid reclaim at the JSA.

Can I claim a food parcel for the next 4 weeks unilll my JSA kicks in. ???

*** Im sooo Angry right now !!!! ****

tomtontom

Presumably you already knew you had arrears from 13 and 14?

You may be able to get assistance with your train fare from the Jobcentre. It is discretionary and depends on what funds they have left this year, but worth asking. They can also refer you to a food bank if need be, but they're unlikely to cover you for a full four weeks.

sangie595

I fail to understand why you are angry with the council over the fact that you didn't pay your bills. The rest of us have to pay our bills. What makes you so special?

Micbuk

Its not the bill thats the problem..... !!!


It s the fact the Council expect me to pay, £650 in just 2 weeks....
Out of £600 income.


Plus I have to pay my rent this month.

(right now, after 4 weeks ib back on bloody JSA any way unless i can find another temp job).

HappyMJ

Micbuk wrote: »

Its not the bill thats the problem..... !!!


It s the fact the Council expect me to pay, £650 in just 2 weeks....
Out of £600 income.


Plus I have to pay my rent this month.

(right now, after 4 weeks ib back on bloody JSA any way unless i can find another temp job).

Write to them and tell them that they are making an impossible demand and you are willing to offer £30 (5% of £600) towards the arrears. They should accept that as reasonable. You will also need to pay your future bills on time as well as the £30. They won't be able to take any further action if you are being reasonable. You aren't refusing to pay so you can't be imprisoned and you don't have a car so they can't take that from you.

[Deleted User]

Micbuk wrote: »

Its not the bill thats the problem..... !!!


It s the fact the Council expect me to pay, £650 in just 2 weeks....
Out of £600 income.


Plus I have to pay my rent this month.

(right now, after 4 weeks ib back on bloody JSA any way unless i can find another temp job).

Ugh

my 4 week £6.50 temp job non holiday paying job lasted 4 months in 2015

It was good for getting another job off back of and let me go immediately once I'd found another longer job (which in fairness it attempted to meet new job salary...)

I also found myself in a ditch in Sandon crying over money much later in 2015 trying to walk to a park and ride after hours where car was parked up in a bid to save money, but as I would soon realise there is more to life, they can't take what you haven't got, count whatever blessings you have, however small

A year on from that £6.50 job I work 50 hours for a lot more money, when I least need it lol! Typical! while cash rich I am now time poor so there is no happy medium!!

sangie595

Micbuk wrote: »

Its not the bill thats the problem..... !!!


It s the fact the Council expect me to pay, £650 in just 2 weeks....
Out of £600 income..

I think you will find that the Council have been expecting you to pay the bill for the last three years, not two weeks. It's from 2013/14, and it is just about to issue the bills for 2016/17. And the purpose of passing the debt to an enforcement agency is to "emphasise" their expectation of payment. If you cannot pay the whole amount at once, then it would be pointless attempting to collect it all - but you are expected to pay something towards your debt if you have money coming in. Even on JSA, people are expected to make token payments towards debt.

Looking back to your previous thread, you have already been sanctioned, and it does appear that you are limiting your job search to what you want to do, and won't consider what you called "shelf-stacking". At this stage in the game, you need to be prepared to do whatever it takes to get back into the employment market. If this four weeks leads to something else, then all well and good, but if it doesn't you won't get yourself back into work by turning up your nose at what is available, and you will end up with further and longer sanctions. The longer you are out of work the less likely it is that you will find any work - including shelf-stacking. And if you end up on the work programme, you will probably end up shelf stacking for a lot less than the minimum wage.

My next door neighbour came to this country when he married. He had a degree in computing but the only work he could find was stacking shelves at Morrisons. He did that full time and then put himself through a Masters degree simultaneously. And then spent a further two years stacking shelves. And now it has paid off because his employers have finally wised up to the fact that they have a hard working and capable employee on their hands, so he is now in the management training programme.

You have a lot of advantages he didn't have - you have recognised qualifications (his degree wasn't UK recognised) and employment history. You have a good reason for losing your employment and for being unemployed for so long whilst recovering. But the longer that you leave it, the less relevant those things become. You can't afford to be picky right now.