So do you think the best way to proceed with filling in the financial information sheet? perhaps it might be worth giving them a call to clarify how they intend to proceed? I'm guessing in the long run, attachment of earnings is better than having a bailiff banging on the door. Has anyone had any experience of offering another payment plan at this stage or, as far as the council is concerned, is it past that stage?

Thanks for the replies guys! The council is question is Leeds. If it helps anyone, the letter states, and I quote: 'You are now under a legal duty to provide the information requested on the enclosed form. If you don't supply this information Leeds Magistrates Court can fine you up to £500. If you supply false information they can fine you up to £1000' It goes on to state that we have to provide all the info reuested no later than 10/4/13 even if a payment arrangement has been agreed. At the bottom it says in bold that if we don't return the form or pay the amount by 10/4/13 a Certified Bailiff will be sent to the collect the outstanding money. The letter also came with the aforementioned 'Council Tax Financial Information Form' which reiterates at the top that the law says I must fill in the form and return it within 14 days.

Good Evening! I was wondering if anyone could offer some advice. I'll start at the beginning. Last year my partner lost his job and we were struggling to make ends meet. I stupidly neglected a few bills and one of them was council tax. They wrote to us recently wanting the full amount which is just over £1000. I offered to pay them £20 on the first of each month until my partner found work again, after which we would obviously start to pay more. The council refused this offer and obtained a liablity order. The paperwork came through yesterday saying that we have until the 10th April to respond. They haven't stated thier intentions after this period but it included a budget sheet which the letter states we have to fill in by law or risk a fine of £500. Does this mean they are going down the attachment of earnings route? The letter does also mention baliffs. While all this has been going on we've kept up with the £20 a month and always made sure to pay it on the 1st of each month. Does anyone have any advice? I've heard when they do attachment of earnings, they can ask for a ridiculous amount which we'd have no control over. So would it be best to carry on paying what we've been paying and risk the £500 fine by not sending them the budget sheet? or would it be best to call the council and explain that we understand that we're liable for the debt and propose the payment plan again? Or just wait until the bailiff stage, and just continue to pay the council directly. Many Thanks!

Good evening! I was wondering if anyone would be able to give me some advice. I've heard that when a debt gets passed to a debt collection agency, you can eventually request that the person you originally owed the debt to 'take it back'. Is this correct? The situation is that a council tax debt has been passed on to Equita. I phoned Equita as soon as we received the letter and they basically bullied me into a payment scheme of over £200 a month. This was fine (although certainly not desirable) for the first couple of payments but due to my changing jobs, I fell behind and couldn't keep up with the payments. Equita started being really nasty, demanding the same amount even though there was no way we could afford it. Our money just simply went on other bills. I no longer dealt with Equita as I don't take kindly to being threatened and bullied and emailed the council to request them to take back the debt, explaining our problems with Equita and outlining the fact that we were willing to pay the debt, we just weren't willing to deal with Equita. The council keep replying with the same answer, that we must deal with Equita directly. Does anyone have any advice? Do we just keep pressuring the council or do we just stop communicating and pay money directly to them anyway (via internet banking)? Thanks in advance!

The thing about the neighbours keeping tabs on you is wrong! Have you considered going to the CAB?

Does this help for dry hair too? Mine is like straw after a few repeated bleachings : (

Try the CAB and see what they say! Seems wrong to me that they're chasing the bill after a year. Have you received any letters from the DCA?

Sounds good! Thanks for posting!!!

This sounds like bullying and harrassment! Is your partner part of any union who could offer advice? If not, why not try the CAB and see what they have to say

Hi! I don't think that it's at all wrong to ask your employer to pay towards your transport. The worst thing they can do is say no. From your message it sounds like you're an asset to them and if you're doing them a favour by coming in when you don't have to, then it would be a kind gesture for them to help you with transport costs. Would it be possible to sit down with your manager and talk to her about this? It's very unfair that you should end up out of pocket when you're helping them out. As for the grievance, on what grounds are you wanting to raise it on? I don't have a lot of HR experience but from what I can see, there isn't a lot here that you could use as grounds. Yes, her sickness is very annoying and I can see how it would be irritating that she always gets what she wants but unless she's actually doing something that's against company policy or what would be considered bullying/harassment then it could possibly be hard to take it to grievance level. How does she book her holidays? if you have a rough idea at the start of the finanical year as to what holidays you want to take for the rest of the year, why not get in there first and book them all at once if your company allows? She is obviously not performing to standard in her job, judging by what you're saying about her sickness record and the way you feel like you come in to a mess which could possibly be grounds for some sort of disciplinary action but that would have to be raised by your manager to whomever deals with your HR. Hope this helps!

Hi, Just wondering if anyone would be able to give me some advice about ending my tenancy. I'm currently on a rolling contract, month-to-month with Isaac Anthony. I've been phoning them to give them the required 30 days notice and never get past the receptionist who takes my details and contact number every single time and yet no-one ever phones back. So today I've sent them an e-mail stating that it is my 30 days notice and the date I intend to leave the flat and have requested that they contact me to arrange someone to come round to inspect the property before the date I leave. I've kept a copy for myself and intend to also send the same thing through the post with recorded delivery. Have I done everything I need to do from my end? Also, do they have a right to refuse this notice? I've been having problems with IA for ages. They NEVER phone back and I don't want to purely rely on them to get the ball rolling as we've already found another flat and don't want to lose it. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!