Hallo All. I've got myself into a massive state and would be really grateful for any advice to help me to get myself out of this situation. I have been suffering from depression for a few years now and on and off for much of my life. In the last few years i have not really been answering the phone or the door and havent been opening my letters or leaving the house very much. Now my stupidity has caught up with me. A few days ago , my ex phoned me and said she had recieved a letter for me at her place (not sure why they sent it to her or how they got her address- probably because they hadn't had any reply from me). She had opened it ( and has forwarded it to me) and told me it was a Council Tax Summons For Inquiry Into Conduct And Means, which meant that i had been summoned to court and could be imprissoned for non payment of council tax. I owe £4256.64 over three years from financial year 2010-2011 onwards. I have been living off savings and not claiming any JSA or council tax benefit and i own my own flat outright. My savings ran out last year and i have been living off money owed to me by family, friends and my ex. Initially i was in a position to pay some of the Council Tax off but due to my own stupidity i didnt, which i understand will go against me at my impending court case. I have always been aware that i owed this money and fully acknowledge the debt and that i will pay it but I have been a massive f***up in the last few years so so here i am. A couple of weeks before i heard about the commital proceedings from my ex, i registered with my local GP, went to see him and have been prescribed anti-depressants (fluoxitine) which i have been taking (despite reservations) and and am starting to feel some positive effects from.them otherwise i probably wouldnt have been in any state of mind to try and deal with my problems. My plan to deal with this is as follows. I would really appreciate any advice, thoughts, ideas, dos and don'ts and support from members of this forum This Monday morning, i will contact Thanet District Council and ask to see someone to try and arrange payment in installments of the money i owe. I can afford £100 per month. Does this seem like an amount they will accept? I have real difficulty proving any income. I could ask the people who owe me money to write a letter supporting me, but is this proof the Council or Court will accept? What is the best way to proceed with this? As I have no money for a solicitor and am not claiming JSA etc, i will go to my local Citizens Advice Bureau on Monday morning to ask for advice and if they will liase with the Council on my behalf if the Council refuses my offer to pay in installments. Do i have to be in receipt of benefits to qualify for Legal Aid or just be on a low income. I dont have a bank account any more- another debt i need to sort so as i said before, proving my income will be very hard. Would anyone on here think it would help to see my GP about this? Would he write a supporting letter on my behalf that would help with the Council/Court? £100 per month is really the maximum i can afford to pay back as the people who owe me money dont have much themselves. I dont have much of value-apart from my flat - to sell either and cant borrow the money so i am counting on the Council/Court to accept my offer. I am feeling a bit better on the fluoxitine and plan to start looking for work on monday too. Honestly, what are my chances? Am I looking at going to prison? Richard

Hello I have CT outstanding Debt of nearly 2k I have been paying What i can When i can , and now i am receving CT Benifit so going forward i should be in a better Postion I havent been able to pay anything in the last few months Its made up Of £400 last years , and the rest from the year before i have tried to clear what i can when i can I have been thro Bailiffs been round and 4-5 times , and now it looks like the debt has been passed back to the CT office This is the First i have heard about I recived a letter today The last line says "I will be Left with no Alternative but to issue a summons for your committal to prison" I have 2 kids and i am very concered there is a pink form attachted to offer payment what is my next move , i cant pay the balance myself and Partner are currently employed We got into this mess by trying not claim benifit and work tho last year when our bussines got into trouble, Any advice welcome How much shall we offer , if they dont like our offer is that it court and prison . Help Please!!!!

Hi, There I am in need of some advice as to what options I have based on my situation. I have had a call from the bailiffs at my house regarding owed council tax arrears. He has shown a standard bailiff letter which notes that I have 2 liability order against me on the property. One is for £2400 and the other is for £1600. The bailiffs are Equita with L Jefferies the Bailiff in Charge. I do know I have been owing the council some arrears but due to some financial circumstances I have not been able to keep up with payments agreed previously. I don't recall seeing liability orders from the council, so this has been a surprise but at the same time I can see how it has got here, so I really want to sort this out. The bailiff is demanding that I make a full payment to cover one of the liability orders £1600 and he can them put in a payment plan to cover the other liability order. I tell him £1600 is not easy money to get hold of, If I could get hold of the cash easily I wouldn't be in this situation... Now I have offered to make a payment of £700 and the rest can be cleared by end of march at the latest, but he says that you can not have more than 2 liability orders against you. One needs to be cleared off. He further threatens that the £1600 needs be cleared by the 8th February otherwise he will send the case back to courts for commitall. Since he says nothing is of value in the house to cover the monies owed. Now I want to know where I stand before proceeding given I have a week left. What is the process to get to commital and do I have a window to extend this past the 8th, with a proposal to make a payment starting with £700 and the rest within a month or two? I have been told that I can fill in a form call the N245 form with a list of my outgoings. Any advice at present would be greatly appreciated. Thanks