Sam vs. Test Valley Borough Council (Council Tax)

[illonavamp]

Hey guys, I'm after some advice.

My coucil tax is about 775 a year and I pay 75.00 per month.

Last year I was in financial difficulties and was unemployed for a spell (no, I didn't claim any benefits or even know I was entitled to any). So I periodically sent them as much as I could every month.

While I was working away in Wales, I returned to find a letter from tvbc saying they had taken me to court and had a bailiffs order to enter my premises and seize goods to the value of what was owed and charge me for the privilege.

This was my fault entirely, I did see a notice about a court date but compleeeeetely forgot to respond to it.

So, I wrote to them apologising profusely and that I had forgotten (at least I'm honest). I explained again the financial difficulties I was in and that I now had a job and was playing catch-up.

They responded by sending me and income and expenditure form which I completed and offered to pay them 25.00 per month.

To this, they responded 'thank you for your letter, we accept your offer of 75.00 per month'

I thought they were just being arsey, but didn't say anything.

This was August last year, I remember as I'd just started my job and had to guess what my net salary would be.

Since then I have been sending them 75.00 per month every month without fail - although it's breaking my neck with everything else I have going on.

A month or two back they wrote to me saying that I owed back-tax and I need to pay that. I wrote to them saying I just didn't have that money lying around, and that I would carry on paying my 75.00 per month, as agreed.

They sent me a couple of other letters and I phoned them on two occasions and was told that the author of the letter doesn't take phonecalls. I was then promptly put on hold and cut off.

Anyway, I got home on Friday to a demand for the full balance within the next 14 days about £780.00.

I used their website to contact them, plus sent an email to their customer services division saying:

I am extremely dissappointed and confused to receive your recent correspondence dated 3rd June in which you have issued a FINAL DEMAND for the full balance of my council tax.

Last August I phoned your office and explained that I was in financial difficulties and you sent me a form to complete regarding my income and expenditure and offer a payment amount. This I did and I explained that I could only afford to pay 25.00 per month. This you ignored and just wrote saying that you accept my offer of 75.00 per month.

Since then I have been breaking my neck (and borrowing money from relatives) to pay you 75.00 PER MONTH EVERY MONTH WITHOUT FAIL. THIS WAS OUR AGREEMENT WASN'T IT?

MY SITUATION HAS NOT CHANGED, so HOW have things now come to this?

Have you just suddenly decided that 75.00 per month isn't good enough?

On what basis have you decided to change YOUR circumstances?

I phoned your offices twice after receipt of every letter and asked to speak to the writer of the letters I have been receiving and apparently they dont take phone calls and was then put on hold and cut off.

I CAN'T pay you 776.19 within the next 14 days.

I CAN pay you 75.00 per month. If this is not acceptable, please let me know and I'll stop paying it - I am quite happy to do this if you prefer.

I am quite sure I'll get no response from this, or at best another income and expenditure form to fill in.

So here's the questions:

- Is there anything else I can do?
- I am really worried that they will revert back to the bailiffs order they say they got last year - are they likely to and how do I deal with that?

I do feel really like I'm at their mercy and they are a law unto themselves,

Any other information you might have to offer would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Sam

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[ss002d6252]

any arrangement made last year won't have any effect on this year - your arrangement was based on your arrears only. The bill issued this year would have shown a new arrangement solely on this years Council Tax,

you should ideally have contacted them in April to make a new arrangement but providing all notices have been issued for this years Council Tax the Council are acting legally.

[lyndseyjane]

each financial year (april - march) must be treated as separate years. When you got your new bill in march (assuming your instalments normally go from april - jan with the statutory two months off) it would have shown your ten monthly instalments plus a note to say that there is £x amount outstanding for a previous financial year

you can either offer a new arrangment to include both debts or set up a new arrangement to run alongside your other one.

Alternativly you can ask the council to deduct the money from your earnings. there are levels which are set out depending upon your monthly/weekly/daily earnings. i can let you know of these levels if you can let me know if your monthly, weekly or daily paid and i'll list the different bands for you