I rung the council after getting a letter saying i was in arrears of £35.

The lady said i was supposed to pay near £4 a month and i was £ 36 behind and if i didnt pay there would be costs and further action, i told her that i was awaiting advice from the cab and i would get back to her. I said i was on incap ben anyway and the assessment said i should pay 0.

3 days later they have now sent a summons with £30 costs on top!!!!

i also said not only do i not have enough to live on but i do not and never have had a bin and i take my rubbish to the tip.

I live alone on £87 p.week and my outgoings mean that i am -£27 each week and i cant afford to pay some bills or buy enough food and its getting worse.

any advice

Unfortunately waiting a decision on any claim for Benefits is not a valid excuse for not paying Council Tax, you are supposed to pay and if in credit this will either be credited to your CT account or you may apply for a refund. I sympathise with your situation and would suggest you try your Council or CAB to see if they have a Welfare Rights Adviser who can help make sure you get everything you are entitled to.

AS for the Council it may be an idea to contact you local Councillor(s) and get him involved, if they are reluctant or refuse then go to the Leadr of the Council and his opposite number - details from the Council website.

PT

as you are in receipt of incapacity benefit, you are not entitled to full council tax benefit

this means that you are expected to contribute some of your income towards your council tax - in your case about £4.00 a month

you could apply for a discretionary housing payment to assist with your council tax costs - but if your application is not successful, you will have to pay the £4 per month towards your council tax

if you are having difficulty paying your living costs, you should seek advice from CAB who can assist you with debts/budgetting

not having a bin does not excuse you from paying - and you should request a bin, but that is really a different issue

Hi thanks for your replies.

I understand what you are both saying.

i only mentioned the bin because i do not see what i get from the council and i havent ever asked them for anything, so basically after bad experiences with them i washed my hands of them.

its a disgrace they put costs on top so quick though.

Thanks.

Councils are strapped for cash and many Councils make extra money from issuing Liability Orders - cost to them £3. So when you find out that maybe they issue 1000+ of these orders per month they recoup a pretty penny back. Don't forget the average debtor may get charged £90!

PT

Good advice here folks. Ploddertome - that bit aboutn LO's is scary!

Council tax doesn't just pay for your bins. In fact, your local authority doesn't even get all the money; some goes to the local police force, and some goes to the other local councils.

I

 

I live alone on £87 p.week and my outgoings mean that i am -£27 each week and i cant afford to pay some bills or buy enough food and its getting worse.

any advice

The catch 22 of those summons is you are liable to pay council tax, you need fill in a form showing all your incoming and outgoing expences [showing what your disposable income is] then make an offer to pay stating the £4.00 per week is to much.

Also have you claimed "income support" you can also contact or used to be able an omnibudsman with regard to councils taking to long to come to a descision, and do a little research on "unjust enrichment" see if that applies to your circumstances as it might be argued that in delaying coming to a descisin they are profiting on the court fees (which to me often no monies changed hands its all on paper balencing out the books at the end of the year) wish you luck any way its a long old slog been through it for seven years my self still did not get a resoloution ( remember being told that a technical overpayment was made on one years payments)