Council Tax

[Phonesurgeon]

Hi guys just need some imput on this.

On 21/09/07 i ve had a mutual exchange( i am council tennant).

the following day i went to declare the change of address and a new account was set up.

Now this is when it get intersting.... they sent me the bill for council tax

o 14/02/08 and a week later i ve received the summons for magistrate court.

Now i ve sort that out i don t need to appear in court but the outstanding bill has been added on this year bill.

I am already on low income (£170 take home a week) and applied for relief

(£18 the bloody cheek of them).

Now i was struggling to pay this year bill, and i won't be able to afford the increase.

Any tought on it?

[Conniff]

You may think you have sorted it out.

 

When you say you don't have to appear in court, does that mean they have cancelled the liability order or that you don't have to go to court to defend it. Be very careful of the way they twist words.

 

If the latter, there is no point in going to court as the courts will always grant liability orders as submitted.

 

What it does mean though is that once a liabilty order is obtained, they can take the money from you wages or any benefits you are receiving. It matters not to them that you might default on a mortgage or rent payment, that is not their problem and they couldn't care less.

 

To me, the order of priority payments is mortgage or rent, water, gas/elec and then council tax.

That order is the priority in which you need to live, but the councils don't see that and put council tax as the first priority and sod the rest.

 

If you do receive a liability order, you must contact the council within forteen days or they will give it to a bailiff to collect and you will lose the right to pay by instalments.

 

If your on such low pay, have you applied for any benefits that you may be entitled to?

 

I see they have given you a rebate of £18, that is so nice of them.

 

These things are laid down by the government in guidlines and the councils take these guidlines right to the limit.

 

In another thread I posted how much the councils nationally make in issuing liability orders and it it around £200,000,000 per year, nice little earner.

Edited June 4, 2008 by Conniff

[Phonesurgeon]

Hi thanks connif for the insight.

I went yesterday back yesterday to complain about the fact that i haven't received a bill forn almost 5 months.

I spoke to one of the managers and not even him could see a reason.

So i twisted their backs into trying to find out a solution as i cannot afford the £160 they are asking me to pay.

Guess what after long negotiation they have agreed for me to pay a weekly amount ( i get paid weekly, and i can actually afford to pay that way) and also I will be re submitting the form for relief.

Now the court summons has been cancelled and i have in my possesion a letter stating that.