income support overpayment

archer_66

hi thank you for taking the time to read this firstly
This is an old problem as you have probably guessed and it is a mess and very stressful and frustrating
Simply around 20 years ago I was told by DWP I had been overpaid thousands of pounds as I was working. My ex had given them information as a punishment for filing for divorce. I took it to appeal with my accounts to show i was within the limits set by them for working. I was told by the lady in appeal tribunal that she did not understand the accounts and was ordered to pay it back. I asked for it to be looked at by someone who understood accounts and after a few letters everything went quiet. I assumed it was all sorted and forgot about it and relaxed. Then in 2007 in popped up again an i again asked for it to be looked at and asked for an SAR which was sent. I cant remember what happened exactly as its all merged in to one mess. It all went quiet again until last year February. They wrote saying I owed them the alleged debt and i sent yet another complaint asking for this to be looked at. They were very dismissive so i sent in a request for an SAR plus the ten pound. They did not send the SAR saying I had already been sent one in 2007. I asked for it to go to the next stage of complaint and they did not do this. I got in touch with the local government ombudsman and they said they could not deal with it as the complaint had not gone through the correct stages. SO i wrote again to the DWP. In their letter they said it was their final response so i again got in touch with the LGO. At this point i had been in touch with the local MP but did not pursue it as i had been in touch with LGO. they came back saying it was not their department but the Parliamentary Ombudsman as it was HMRC. So i got my MP to sign the form and sent it off last year. I was allocated a worker around Jan or Feb this year. I was told they needed to clarify if it was DWP or HMRC. They decided it was DWP and it should b the LGO. However they said that because the stages of complaints had not been completed they could not look at it. I got in touch with my MP office again where the lady who called me back was very curt and rude and accused me of not co-operating with the PHSO she said she needed them to give her an update and she would not be contacting the DWP to push the complaint as she could not do this. I was told she could by someone off the record. SO i got in touch with PHSO and asked for them to update her and they said it was nothing to do with the MP what happened and she could help and suggested i either talk to another advisor there or write to the DWP to push it through the complaints process. This whole thing has become a farce now and I'm at my wits end with it all and the stress its causing. In the beginning it caused me medial issues .
can any one please help with any advice ? I'm so lost

BorisThomson

Your post is difficult to understand, but is it correct that you went to tribunal (appeal) and lost? Did you then apply to the Upper Tribunal or not?

Were you in fact working whilst claiming IS? On what grounds were you claiming it?

paragon909

Upper tribunal only applies if there has been an error in law applied to the original tribunal. And basically only gives another tribunal.

[Deleted User]

OP your post is very difficult to understand, perhaps you could edit it into paragraphs for us?

I'm not sure where local govt (LGO)? comes into this as its clearly a DWP issue.

And whilst not being nosey it might help us to know how much £ was/is involved?

I do hope you return to this so more help can hopefully be given.