I'm currently unemployed and claiming Universal Credit and Council tax benefit. My council, knowing I'm unemployed and what I'm claiming is chasing me for arrears and has rejected the best offer I can make and pay every month. I've laid out where my money goes and politely told them to forget it.

Where do I stand legally ?

Have you got your local councillors involved?

How much are the arrears?

If you don't deal with this correctly you could face a Liability order, this will be very expensive for you. If it goes out to enforcement (Bailiffs) Enforcement Agents as they are called now)) This could see at least £310 added to your bill and if you don't clear or make an arrangement to clear it could get even more serious.

See the above reply and get on to this straight away. The LA already know that if you are transferred to UC it can take up to 7 weeks to get your first payment, but in the meantime you can apply for an advance to cover you until you get your money sorted.

Further reading for you is here >> https://www.gov.uk/council-tax-arrears

If you don't deal with this correctly you could face a Liability order, this will be very expensive for you. If it goes out to enforcement (Bailiffs) Enforcement Agents as they are called now)) This could see at least £310 added to your bill and if you don't clear or make an arrangement to clear it could get even more serious.

 

 

See the above reply and get on to this straight away. The LA already know that if you are transferred to UC it can take up to 7 weeks to get your first payment, but in the meantime you can apply for an advance to cover you until you get your money sorted.

 

 

Further reading for you is here >> https://www.gov.uk/council-tax-arrears

All the UC side is sorted out, only took about 4 months to get everything sorted so a complaint has gone in about that plus the factually incorrect advice DWP Staff gave me in the first place....

So my LA know I'm on benefits, I've explained how where all my money goes. I'm pretty much left about with about £110.00 a month to pay for food and travel costs so I've made an offer I know I can just about afford as long no bills go up for now. Yet they're rejected that offer as unacceptable. I can't offer more as then I have to choose between paying the rent in full, or paying the telecom bills so I can find and get a job or paying less on the utility bills and run up even more debt or going hungry. I can't cancel contracts to reduce costs as that leaves me with a big bill I can't pay. I can't afford to move flats as I can't afford a bond, fees, rent up front or the movings costs so that's out of the question.

Frankly my LA (it's in the South Yorkshire area so I'll leave you to guess) is so utterly ****e and corrupt I have no interest in going hungry to pay them any more than I have to or risking losing my flat, telecoms, the lights or heating. I'm pretty confident I know the basics of the legal situation but I need to know if the council is legally justified in chasing someone who has no spare cash ?

Are the arrears from a period when you didnt qualify for CT Faustus ?

Andy

Are the arrears from a period when you didnt qualify for CT Faustus ?

 

Andy

Partly. I've been making small ish payments, £5 here and there but seems on UC I'm still expected to make a contribution to my Council Tax bill........

So you was never paying full council tax just a small contribution and the arrears are from that small part that you had to pay?

So you was never paying full council tax just a small contribution and the arrears are from that small part that you had to pay?

Not quite. Before I became unemployed I was clearing the CT arrears at £120 month. Once I was unemployed I keep paying £5 to £20 a month from my Army Reserve income. Once my UC claim was sorted out I keep paying £10 a month from my AR income. Once I finally got all the paperwork from DWP I was able to finally complete the claim for Council tax benefit, which only took DWP 5 months to sort out. At that point I discovered that I'm expected to make a contribution to Council tax.