Bristow and Sutor...URGENT

Jemima86

Hi.
So, I'll try to keep this concise. I owe council tax (£2018) from a few years ago. I've been dealing with Bristow and Sutor since December 2016. Everything has been fine, I've been paying £40 a month regularly as part of temporary (3 month duration) payment plans.
My latest payment plan expired in April (2018). They emailed me regarding sending proof of benefits bur I forgot to do so. Yesterday I received a text message stating I had to call them to avoid enforcement action so I did. The lady I spoke to was incredibly rude and unhelpful but the upshot was that as I forgot to set up a new payment plan they want the full payment by 20/6/18 or an enforcement agent will come to seize goods. The fact that I have been making payments is seemingly irrelevant because of my forgetting to send proof of benefits.
There is no way I can find this amount of money. I'm currently on long term ESA and PIP as I have severe arthritis and need joint replacement surgery (my consultant advised waiting until my youngest daughter is a bit older, she's only 10 months). I haven't missed payments and it was a genuine lapse that made me forget about setting up a new arrangement. My memory isn't the best thanks to the pain I'm in, medication and having 3 children (10, 3 and 10 months). I have asked in the past for longer arrangements as I knew this would end up happening.
I just don't know what to do. I'm not trying to avoid paying, i want to set up a new plan but Bristow and Sutor are refusing to allow this. I called the originating council to see if they can take the debt back so I can pay them directly but they said that's not possible as it's been sold on. I called CAB who are going to call me back but they seem to just want to set up a debt management plan which I don't feel is necessary. I'm handling my debt and making affordable payments.
What do I do!? I can't have an enforcement agent barging his way into my home, it will scare my daughters and I'm not physically capable of stopping them. I'm scared they'll turn up when I need to get my oldest to school, or in from school or when I'm taking my youngest girls out or in. If they do, how would I stop them entering my home as I open the door to leave/enter. What do I do when they're refusing to set up a new plan and expect me to find £2018 in 5 days!? Not to mention that the goods in my home belong to my partner (we moved in together 3.5 years ago and I brought nothing of value to the home as he had everything). We have a car but without that I'll struggle to get out due to my disability (it's not a mobility car and I didn't apply for a blue badge as we use child parking bays). I borrowed money from my parents to buy the car and I haven't paid them back in full yet.
Sorry for the length and thank you for reading .

CIS

At this stage the enforcement agents are doing exactly what would be expected - there is no payment arrangement in place and they are therefore looking to collect the full amount which is due. You can ask the enforcement agents and council to either accept a new payment arrangement or look instead at an attachment of benefit order however you cannot force them to agree a payment arrangement.

The debt has not been sold on. The enforcement agents act for the council using the powers granted under the liability order, the enforcement agents are simply contractors with the legal power to collect the monies.

The enforcement agent has to have peaceful entry to a property, they cannot force access. They can walk in through an unlocked/open door but that is pretty much the limit of their powers of access. If they gain peaceful entry and you then obstruct the enforcement agents you would be then omitting an offence.

Gemsy81

I think your best bet of getting them on side, is to call them with an offer of whatever you can pay, there and then. If you make some payment you show willing and they are more likely to listen to you. Also - tell them exactly what you have told us regarding your assets etc. Unfortunately when it comes to council tax, they can be pretty ruthless (I had my own fun showdown with Bristow and Sutor about 10 years ago!).....but as has been said, they can only gain peaceful entry to your house, they can't break in. And they won't wait there all day if you don't answer the door, so just wait for them to leave before you go out. Good luck x