Hi, I am having trouble with the council, yet again and wondered if anyone on here could point me in the right direction re actual law for council tax 25% single occupancy? I am being refused single occupancy discount, even though I have advised the council of the fact I live with no other adults. Did this by letter. They say I have to go into the office and go through the 25% discount form with them...as it will be quicker!!!! but why won't a letter from me sent recorded delivery do? I think they are being obtuse and prejudicial, to be polite. I don't know the forwarding address of the person who has left here and the council wants this. They have only me down on the electoral vote, yet they are still telling me that they haven't been advised of my single status at home and have sent the bully bailiff boys in, who have charged me £49 for posting a letter through the letterbox, telling me of an impending visit!! I am really sick and tired of the intimidation and fed up with having to pay them money that they aren't entitled to. All this in time Christmas, too!! Surely, if you advise them that someone has left, then that should do? It's not for me to provide them with a tracking system!! Arghhhh Any help would be much appreciated. I went to CAB before and they were a bit useless, to be polite.

Hi, Hope I've got the right forum here. I've been having problems with the council who won't reduce the Council Tax bill to reflect that there is only me and a small child living there. They think a non dependent is here, even though I have told them this is not so on countless occasions, including in writing. The bill is in my name and this council is a complete nightmare. I just wonder if they make their own rules up as they go along. The last of my older kids moved out last year and the council want a forwarding address before they'll alter the bill to single occupancy. I don't see why I should provide this info, especially if I don't know it. It'll just go on yet another database (there are enough of these already) for snoops to use and/or lose!! What happens when people split up and one walks out and the other doesn't know where they've gone? If you have advised them that persons have moved out shouldn't that be it; are you required in law to give them a forwarding address? If this is so, could someone point me to the relevant legal gumph, please.

Well, they came today and the rep kept his word:o)

Thanks Noggsy:o))) Ever the eternal pessimist.....I'll let you know what happens on Thursday. I hope the bloke from Chase kept his word! I got the up to date bill yesterday. Gas bill was half of what they said. Even the electric was £100 lower than stated. So much for meter readers!! In the end, I had enough to pay it off and could have avoided all the hassle of ppm's. I'm well fed up.

Well, I went to the court and I'm pooped!! It was a very early start for us with long journey. There was no-one really around at court to ask/query anything..no duty solicitor, only a bunch of reps with wads of entry warrants that they wanted rubber stamping by the judge, sitting outside the court room and comparing notes! The rep who was working on behalf of our provider asked if we could sort something out and once I'd explained how the debt had accummulated and I had tried to sort it, he tried his best to help out. Upshot is that I cleared the gas account, so that's on quarterly still...the bill is half what the leccy is. The leccy I'll have a meter and will pay a small amount off each week. Told him that the leccy company wouldn't agree to this when I asked about this, but he said he would sort it. There is no charge for installing the meter and all price changes are sorted out electronically, so I won't end up with another huge bill. I didn't have to go into court. The meter goes in next week and I'll let you know if he has kept to his word.

Thanks for the info:o) I shall be there at court with all my gumphh Some people I've spoken to say that I should go for the ppm as at least I'll have no bill to worry about once this is paid up! I'm just worried that I'll end up on an extortionate rate, never able to get off it and that we'll be sat in the dark for half the week. Young daughter is scared of the dark, especially winter time. It's just the amount they want me to pay weekly...it's just too much. What happens once the debt has been repaid..do they come and reset the meter? Do you get charged for having a meter installed? Will I be viewed as the lowest of the low for having one? I am looking at worse case scenario, as this seems to be the story of my life lately! Wonder if the neighbours would mind if I stuck some home made solar panels up on the roof! lol

Hi Does anybody know the legalities on what I can do to stop a warrant being issued to our gas and leccy supplier as they want to disconnect our gas and leccy supply? The court hearing is Thursday. What happens at these hearings, does anyone know? Am I able to explain my circumstances and put forward a payment plan that the judge can ok or is that up to the supplier? They're not interested and just want to put in PPMs unless I pay the whole amount off, of which I am a couple of hundred quid short on being able to do. I've been to Citizens Advice. No joy there. We have a huge bill and I've raised nearly enough money to pay that off, then they sent another bill which added another £400! I rang them up and queried this as there is £200 on there which is listed as 'other charges' and the person I spoke to didn't know/want to expand on it. They want to stick pre payment meters in. Can I stop them? Does the whole bill have to be paid off to prevent this? The SP person told me not to pay a lump sum off as I would be paying the bill off weekly... and the amount is more than a third of my weekly income!! We would be left with £20 a week for food and everything else. Any ideas what I can do? Many thanks.

Thank you all for your help on this and the links. I'll admit that I feel totally overwhelmed with having to fight people off left, right and centre. I'm so tired of it. I was ill and unable to cope with all this red tape, hence the problems. I don't work as I have caring responsibilities, can't claim anything as one of the people I care for isn't 'ill enough' if you know what I mean? Gas & elec want to cut us off..sent bailiff, same with council (who are being real swines)..and won't backdate any h ben, so rent is in arrears plus they aren't paying the full benefits I'm entitled to, so I have to pay the difference for the rent out of IS, leaving us with £30pw. Council person thought this was ok!! Bet they wouldn't think so if they had to live on that! They think a non dependent is living here, which is not true and want a forwarding address..which I don't have..Have told them this > landlord wants rent arrears, so am in danger of losing home. I was trying to find some way to pay the rent arrears primarily, so at least we have a home. To cap it all, c tax cr people say I've been overpaid and want that back. How do you negotiate payment back to them? I feel like my head is about to explode with all this. lol Because of the overpayment I stopped claiming ctc. Even if I worked (which I'll have to wef Nov), I'd struggle to afford to pay all this back, plus childcare if I don't get ctc & wtc to top up any income. It's a vicious circle. I presume I can't claim ctc & wtc if I have an overpayment to pay back? Does anyone have experience of this? I just want to be armed with some info before I ring the ctc people. No wonder people emigrate!! Thanks for any info. x

Hi, Does anyone know what type of loan I can claim for while on IS (& CB for one child?) We don't have a lot to live on. I have caring duties for elderly parent and we can't claim anything there to bump our income up. Can you apply for a loan to help pay outstanding heating and rent arrears/bills in order to keep a roof over your head or does it have to be for stuff like furniture and clothes? Don't know if I am thinking of a loan from the Social Fund, or a budgeting loan...What is the criteria and what sort of periods do they give for repaying? And where do you apply? Is it job centre? I'm having ongoing problems with ctc (overpayment supposedly) and HB with the council (CAB are helping with these) and so we could be in danger of losing our housing assoc home, hence my query. Sorry if I have waffled...too stressed out!

Hi, I'm new to all this and wondered if anyone could help. Hope I've got the right forum, too. I'm on Income Support with one school aged child. I don't claim Tax Credits because of a previous cockup and thus overpayment. I would rather do without. We live on 74.35 a week. I'm being billed for two council tax bills for sons who left school but who weren't in work. Too embarassed to claim dole. I supported them but they ended up leaving home 'cos the council wouldn't pay the majority of the housing benefit/c tax until they signed on. Anyway, local council billed me and have a liability order on my income support. This was for son no one. Now they have billed me again for second son who has left college. How many liability orders can they attach to income support? Today I have had a bailiffs letter threatening the usual stuff, but I am told that the council can only apply one liability order on income support at a time. Why are they bullying me with a bailiff when they can just add the bill onto my income support once the first one runs out? The second liability order is wrong as my second son has not been living here since Sept and should be at least half of the figure they quote, even though they know this. They want proof of his new address, which they never asked for for son no one. And why do they have to do snoop visits so I can get the housing and ctax benefit? It's very demeaning. Housing benefit has been reduced because of all this and so I'm in danger of losing my rented home. Repossession hearing is soon. CAB appointments around here are booked up way after this hearing. Any ideas? feel like jumping off a bridge.