new council tax benefit award letter came this mornirng

[time4change2]

Apart from the obvious that they have increased the subsistence level benefits by less than inflation and we are thus worse off and then they decide we have to contribute to council tax, so we are now even worse off.

Then it varies by area,so some areas may have no extra payments to make while other areas have 10% or even more to make. Depending on the level of council tax in your area and the band of your house it could be a huge amount.

 

Then on top of the cap on the number of bedrooms you have you are stuffed. I do have to say i have mixed views on the bedroom situation as why should a single person be in 4 bedroom social housing.

 

i agree with you there a single person should not have a 3 4 bedroom house but a person who is disabled who has to have a 2 bedroom house for an overnight carer should be allowed but in this day and age there not even allowed that

 

25% council tax we have to were from the north east not to sure about other places but that's whet we have been tool in our letter we have to 125% not to sure why as i know some people who only pay 10%/20% but seems we got the max to pay

[fletch70]

Oh i agree about someone who is ill and needing care. Even in the mid 90's it was difficult to get a bigger property than you "needed" even for the terminally ill although that may be because that council is terminally inept.

It is complex and i don't know the answer but i know that this isn't the best way to do it.

[TheLion]

We received ours yesterday. Typical, on a Saturday when you can't contact them. We live in Cornwall, Band A with a liability of 25% Works out at just over £20 per month.

 

Is this the new Poll Tax then? I bet it never goes down again. Not once they realise they can squeeze money out of people who have little to begin with. Especially with the threat of bailiffs, court and prison if you don't comply!!!

[ellie12022]

Not heard anything from our council yet but understand that the Welsh Government is funding any shortfall this year so if you're eligible for full help for this year, should be ok for this coming year too. Next year is a different story though.

 

I wonder if those who have to pay and for whom it is a struggle can negotiate to pay over 12 months instead of 10, I know this option used to be available.

[lucksic]

As I mentioned earlier

 

All council's will have a discretionary fund available ( I found mine on the local councils website)

this is for those vulnerable people who fit the criteria decided by their own council...please check the website for your council to discover the discretionary fund in operation for your area!

[speedfreek]

As I mentioned earlier

 

All council's will have a discretionary fund available ( I found mine on the local councils website)

this is for those vulnerable people who fit the criteria decided by their own council...please check the website for your council to discover the discretionary fund in operation for your area!

 

Correct see here [EDIT]

 

Appears to be in the Twilight Zone though

Edited March 18, 2013 by seanamarts
Link deleted

[time4change2]

im not to sure how there going to work this out though if someone gets full DLA and ESA as they have a lot of disabilities that could amount to lets say £1000 a month with these benefits together they might say ok you have enough money to pay for the extra council tax yourself?

 

as i was under the impression those extra payments were for those on a low income? same with bedroom tax extra payments? surely if this is the case then disabled people will still be effected no better off then they started.

 

i got one of the discretionary payments applications for the bedroom tax and they want to know everything how much you get what you spend on bills shopping toiletries ect ect so i dont see how this is going to work to be honest

[LongHairedLily]

Havern't a clue what I am to pay Sefton haven't sent a letter! Surfed the net to gain any insight yet...Nada!

[seanamarts]

As I mentioned earlier

 

All council's will have a discretionary fund available ( I found mine on the local councils website)

this is for those vulnerable people who fit the criteria decided by their own council...please check the website for your council to discover the discretionary fund in operation for your area!

This is for help with rent, I doubt you would be able to claim this for council tax.

 

Unfortunately, most council will be doing this sooner or later. Its worked out that most council are charging about 8/10% of the full years council tax.

Every body on benefits will eventually be effected. However Im sure I have read somewhere that OAP's are exempt.

 

Its extremely unfair for all but especially for those who are disabled and cannot even go out to work to try and balance the purse. Benefits havnt even gone up to help those effected, to cover this cost. It looks like it goes in one hand and they take it back in the other. But I suppose they look at it as we are all paying into the system so to stop people who do pay it from calling people on benefit scroungers who dont pay tax.

 

Dosnt make sence, then again nothing that this government has done makes any sense, its just another way of making the poor even poorer.

 

If our councils stop wasting the money on nonsensical things then no one would have to pay such high council tax.

[osdset]

East London (Newham) Band B 25% single persons reduction, 1 X£13.67 11 X £12.00 total £145.67

[worried33]

well with the new council tax benefit letter came today have to pay £9.00 a month starting from the 1st of April seems there no one safe from this at the moment have to pay a total of £90.00 a year now

 

anyone else had there's yet?

 

compared to my council thats very soft.

 

I was paying £16 a month in 2011, £12 month in 2012, now £26 a month £257 payable over the year and thats band A with single adult so approx 1/3 I have to pay. If I can get hold of a ESA3 and get it processed I will go down a bit but I think will be approx £15-16 a month still.

 

My sister was paying 0 and now has to pay £22 a month with 2 adults. (no excess income). My sister with no excess income is paying approx in % about 24%. My council claim they have had a budget cut of a whopping 17%.

 

My view is leics city council have deliberatly increased the impact for political reasons or they are just incompetant.

 

Well and truly a postcode lottery now, very unfair.

[matty2303]

our council now take into account child benefit as earnings , we have gone from paying around £70 a month last year to now paying in full this year at £117 a month

[seanamarts]

I foresee that the bailiffs are going to be very busy later this year. There will be so many mistakes made by the council in sorting this whole business out, plus the fact that many people on benefits just wont be able to pay this. People on benefits can barely cope now. Even £2.50 a week, which I can imagine is going to be the average to pay, is a lot of money for some one on benefits.

It will be a toss up of whether they eat for a day or pay the CT.

[LongHairedLily]

With all these problems arising, bailiff comapnies will be seeing a growth area and taking on new staff.

[bcham]

the rich get richer,the poor get poorer,all those Torie voters have brought this on there selves.

[osdset]

If everyone effected appealed the bedroom tax and refused to pay the council tax element, the whole thing would collapse. The answer is there.

[dyfed]

If everyone effected appealed the bedroom tax and refused to pay the council tax element, the whole thing would collapse. The answer is there.

 

I agree that everyone should appeal but it wont be long till the government do something to counter the move. For example stopping HB whilst waiting for your appeal to be heard.

This is the kind of nazi regime we have in government

[worried33]

If everyone effected appealed the bedroom tax and refused to pay the council tax element, the whole thing would collapse. The answer is there.

 

what makes you think people will stand together?

 

the last decade or so everyone just thinks of themselves.

 

evident in that noone moaned about the HB changes until those in council houses were been targeted later.

[ragsrule]

Exactly seanamarts,

I am budgeted up to the hilt and cannot afford £5.00 a month on top of everything else, as it is I spend far less than £200. per month allocated to my husband & I, we often have just a sandwich for dinner as we cannot afford a meal...

It's all wrong! I have other commitments which sadly break into my disability money as it is so how they expect me to manage this I'll never know!!

 

The elderly I fear will be harder hit and that is a real worry.. Think it's high time I got to know who my new neighbours are and see if they are going to be ok...

[Nystagmite]

Pensioners aren't affected by the council tax reforms.

[Guest]

yes as I understand it pensioners are not having to pay any council tax at all. Had my letter this morning and my charge is £174.14 for the year, broken down to monthly payments, 1st £21.14 on 10th April and then the rest at £17.00 on the 10th of each month until Jan 2014.

[stikky62]

I just got mine.

 

The total due for next tax year is £240.78 - so £24 per month from April (10 months)

 

Bugger

[lucksic]

compared to my council thats very soft.

 

I was paying £16 a month in 2011, £12 month in 2012, now £26 a month £257 payable over the year and thats band A with single adult so approx 1/3 I have to pay. If I can get hold of a ESA3 and get it processed I will go down a bit but I think will be approx £15-16 a month still.

 

My sister was paying 0 and now has to pay £22 a month with 2 adults. (no excess income). My sister with no excess income is paying approx in % about 24%. My council claim they have had a budget cut of a whopping 17%.

 

My view is leics city council have deliberatly increased the impact for political reasons or they are just incompetant.

 

Well and truly a postcode lottery now, very unfair.

 

Leicester CC run a discretionary fund for the new council tax scheme for vulnerable people.

 

http://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council-services/housing/council-tax/ways-to-reduce-your-bill/council-tax-reduction-scheme/

[Corinnerose]

Mine came this morning, have gone from paying £30 a month to £77 a month, all that's changed is the small rise in carers allowance

[Ros1609]

Had my letter this morning. £161.61 split over 10 months. Not as bad as I thought it would be