please help Income support stopped>>

hel8itch

hi all.i havent a clue what to do right now.
To put it short i have 3 children.2 of them are from my husband who doesnt live with me but we still see each other regulary,i was claiming income support and housing benefit etc with no problems.as im ;living alone and not working.well the council wrote to me with an appointment to see their fraud people.i went and my hubby was there already.when he left i got called in and went through a 3 hour long interview process,where they showed me print outs of websites i had made which were all 0n free webhosts such as geocities etc.and they showed me copies of my husbands bank accounts and the childrens school register forms where it shows emergency contacts.
well after this interview which took place in november last year.last week i got a letter to say my benefit is being stopped as they believe my husband is living with me.
their reasons were
because his bank statements are sent to my address
this is due to him living with me years ago whch their aware of and the fact he doesnt trust some of the undesirabes that go to his mothers where hes living.
also because His name is on the childrens school registrations as an emergency contact( is there something wrong with that)
also because on some of my mail etc i have my married name and on others its my maiden name.(so??) to be honest my shopping bills go in married name and nice mail in my own!!
He has made several credit applications at my address (this is as his mothers is blacklisted)
He regulary pays for weekly shopping ( none of us said that we said if theres something i need and havent the money hell help me )
He takes the children out(isnt that what parents do?)

The above are their reasons. Its quite simple really,i lost my mum a couple of years ago which tore me apart,i have been on antidepressants etc.He helped me through alot of it.but some he couldnt understand.we have a bond which ties us together,yet we just cant live together.When weve tried the arguements are dreadful even resorting to police being called as hes smashing up the house or something.I decided enough was enough my children dont deserve to see that crap every day and grow up thinking thats how a marriage should be.so i wont let him live here,why cant the council understand it,they seem to think there has to be a huge explaination when its simple to me anyway.
And now my benefits have been stopped.and i need money.i dont know where to go who to see.what to say.
Im so worried i spent the last 6 years paying off rent arrears from the last time i had huby living with me (he didnt pay the rent) they went over £1000 and i litterally payed them off a month ago.Desperate to move out but now worried arrears will add up again.
please someone advise me here

dmg24

Have they detailed your right to appeal their decision? x

Scarlett1

yes do appeal, I dont know where you would stand with that as technically you aren't a lone parent as you are still in a relationship with your husband, he buys the shopping, his bank statements come to your address, he is taking out credit at your address, and he obviously stays over, I think there has to be a line or otherwise whats stopping every couple hatching a plan for one of them to stay at their parents or friend's etc and claiming lone paret benefits

lilac_lady

According to the DWP your husband is your partner and is staying with you. Does he claim anything? If so has he registered himself at your address for the claim? If not you may stand a chance on appeal.

Fran

You need to get on to Citizens Advice or other welfare benefits people in your area who will help you appeal. You have a month from the date of the decision in which to appeal. Meanwhile you will have to put another claim in which is from now: either as a single parent on IS (if husband not "living with" you) or as a joint claim (Tax Credits if he is working or Jobseekers Allowance if not). Take advice from CAB etc. as to which benefits to apply for. Also note that any Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit you are entitled to will also stop so it's vital you get help as soon as you can. If you are in rented accommodation end up with rent difficulties, if it's social housing (Council/Housing Association) make sure they are aware of the problems (some are better than others about rent arrears).

hel8itch

god now came a letter today from bank saying im £12 overdrawn and theyve charged me £30 for it! great .
No my hubby doesnt claim as he works.
he doesnt buy all my shopping.he helps when i need it.
Im in panic mode now.so should i put in a new claim?aswell as appeal?

hel8itch

now im in a right state.cant stop blubbering.
Why oh why does everything go wrong for me
i just rung the benefits and told them i have no money,3 children and debts growing all the time i dont get money to pay them.
They more or less said "theres nothing i can do" what the hell!! nothing they can do.jesus there must be something i can do.how on earth do i feed my kids.They got the whole thing wrong.they even said on there that the phone bill is in his name well if that was the case the phone company wouldnt of tryed to take the bill payment from MY account and make me overdrawn..grrrrrrrrrrrrrr im so angry,upset and lost

Fran

You need to get professional advice - contact CAB or other welfare benefits providers in your area.

You need to appeal against this decision and have one month from the date of the decision. CAB etc. can help you with this.

The bank - ring them and explain you have been on IS, if it's a one-off they should be reasonable and credit your account with the £30.

Did your husband give permission for them to show you his bank statements? I wouldn't have thought they can do that (though maybe they can in a fraud investigation - this needs checking).

One of the problems is the "regular" help with weekly shopping. This will have been counted as regular income.

Is he paying maintenance? Usually when you claim IS they contact the CSA automatically. Have CSA been involved?

When you "see him regularly" does he stay over at your house? That's another reason if he does that they would come to that conclusion.

His problems with his address are not your problem, you will have to tell him not to use your address for anything.

If you haven't already, make a claim for Income Support etc. today while this is being sorted out.

Fran

hel8itch wrote: »

now im in a right state.cant stop blubbering.
Why oh why does everything go wrong for me
i just rung the benefits and told them i have no money,3 children and debts growing all the time i dont get money to pay them.
They more or less said "theres nothing i can do" what the hell!! nothing they can do.jesus there must be something i can do.how on earth do i feed my kids.They got the whole thing wrong.they even said on there that the phone bill is in his name well if that was the case the phone company wouldnt of tryed to take the bill payment from MY account and make me overdrawn..grrrrrrrrrrrrrr im so angry,upset and lost

Ring benefits again and tell them you want to put in a claim for IS. They will have to let you put in the claim.

Re debts - you can ask CAB or other welfare benefits adviser about your debts at the same time you ask about the appeal.

Kazzajr

Do you receive tax credits?

Were you getting full income support previously, whilst you were receiving maintenance from your ex.

oldmotherreilly

hel8itch
Sorry I'm a bit confused. In your first post you said that the letter came from the council fraud section? If this is the case, they only have a right to stop your claim for Housing Benefit/Council Tax Benefit. They cannot stop your claim for IS as that is dealt with by the Jobcentre. Who did the letter come from-was it the council or DWP?