Huge council tax arrears Scotland

TraceyJ29

Hi,

This is my first time posting and I could really use some advice on how to deal with my council tax arrears which are fairly substantial. I’m not sure exactly how much but it is in the thousands.

Basically I haven’t paid council tax for a few years, not because I didn’t want to but because I just couldn’t afford to. By the time rent, utilities and food were paid for there was just nothing left. I also live in an area where the council tax is ridiculously high even though we rent through a housing association. Rather than dealing with it I’ve been burying my head in the sand. Each year the debt is passed on to Stirling Park for collection. At one point they were taking a small amount each month from my husbands wages but he has since changed jobs so this has stopped.

We are now in a slightly better position financially and I’ve realised that I really need to sort out our debts but to be honest I don’t know where to start with this. I have been in touch with StepChange to arrange a debt payment programme (DAS) to pay off all our debts but I realise I also need to start paying the council tax. Do I just contact the council, explain and hope they allow me to start paying monthly?

I’m really worried about this and would appreciate any advice.

Tracey

CIS

TraceyJ29 wrote: »

Hi,

This is my first time posting and I could really use some advice on how to deal with my council tax arrears which are fairly substantial. I’m not sure exactly how much but it is in the thousands.

Basically I haven’t paid council tax for a few years, not because I didn’t want to but because I just couldn’t afford to. By the time rent, utilities and food were paid for there was just nothing left. I also live in an area where the council tax is ridiculously high even though we rent through a housing association. Rather than dealing with it I’ve been burying my head in the sand. Each year the debt is passed on to Stirling Park for collection. At one point they were taking a small amount each month from my husbands wages but he has since changed jobs so this has stopped.

We are now in a slightly better position financially and I’ve realised that I really need to sort out our debts but to be honest I don’t know where to start with this. I have been in touch with StepChange to arrange a debt payment programme (DAS) to pay off all our debts but I realise I also need to start paying the council tax. Do I just contact the council, explain and hope they allow me to start paying monthly?

I’m really worried about this and would appreciate any advice.

Tracey

You need to speak with the council ASAP. If council tax has remained unpaid for some time it's unlikely that the council have not proceeded with recovery action.

National_Debtline

Hello Tracey and welcome to the forum.


It should be possible to include all of the existing council tax you owe in any DAS payment plan Stepchange help you to set up. However you ought to speak to the council now to determine how they intend to deal with the 2018-19 bill that will fall due on 1 April. Ideally you will want the council to agree that this can be paid as a stand-alone bill by monthly instalments (and outside of the DAS), rather than being immediately passed to Stirling Park like the previous bills, as this will avoid any extra costs being added. Doing so should be easier if you can show the council that you are seeking support with handling your existing debts.


Good luck


Dennis
@natdebtline

TraceyJ29

Thanks so much for replying. I will speak to the council today and see if I can set up a monthly payment for the 2018/19 bill, fingers crossed they accept. I will also send off the paperwork to StepChange today to ensure payments are made on the arrears as soon as possible.

coolcait

If you haven't paid any council tax for this year (2017/18) and it has been passed on to Stirling Park for collection it can go into your DAS.

You have to pay next year's Council Tax (2018/19). If you don't pay that then your DAS could get cancelled.

I hope you managed to sort something out with the council when you called them. And good luck with the DAS