Domestic Violence now left with Major debt - all in my own name

[dx100uk]

Ignore them

if they turn up

do not engage

 

get on the phone tomorrow to the council and make a nuisance of yourself getting through to the head of the ctax enforcement unit

 

send the ceo (head of councul) an email about it all asking to call off enforcement and take the debt back 

copy this to your local mp

 

as for all his/your consumer debt. For now forget about it. Stuff and all anyone can do. Go open a parachute account get all your income paid to there.

 

going fwd..Pay off this ctax debt asap. Pay your mortgage and gas/electric..those are the only ones that can hurt your roof.

 

Just to be 1000% bullet proof..have you ever gotten a copy of your home deeds recently??

[Feelingdownandout]

i do have some debt to my electric - thats the next thing - again, i stopped paying in Oct / Nov when they increased payments to £200 .... my ex was charging his electric mercedes on the house, and i just couldnt afford it 

 

can the NoE Bristow & Sutor take my car?

 

no i havent gotten a copy of my deeds - why do you say that??

 

Edited September 2, 2021 by Feelingdownandout

[dx100uk]

All util providers have special staff/section which deal with people in a  simular vulnerable situation..i suggest you make contact directly.

 

The noa gives you 7 days to act @ £75. Then the visit is £235 making a max total of £310. Yes they can levy on a car in your name. So get that work done tomorrow.

 

As for your deeds no harm in checking use only the .gov.uk land registry site cost approx £3ish. Cant hurt to be totally sure nothing backdoor is registered.

[BankFodder]

Of course even being in a position where you resolutely refuse to let bailiffs into the property is extremely stressful and of course can be embarrassing in front of neighbours as well.
With this in mind I've got a suggestion to make and I don't think it will get in the way of the suggestions being made by my site team colleague @dx100uk although if there is any risk of this then you should prioritise his advice over mine.

I think there is some mileage to be made by making sure as many people as possible know what is going on.
I would suggest that you find out the name of your local MP and also of the councillors for your area which I believe may be Shropshire.

Then I think that with our help you can draft a letter to your MP and copied out to the local councillors and also to the relevant department in the local authority as well as to Bristow and anyone else we can think of.

May as well send a copy to the police as well. I expect that you have a crime reference number.

The letter would be directed to your MP in principle asking for help and explaining the problem. Explaining your circumstances including your hospitalisation and police involvement as well as the apparent disregard by the council and of the bailiffs of your predicament and of their own safeguarding policy.
I think you will find that this will trigger some kind of reaction and also probably some action.
I think an important part of sending this kind of letter is not only who do you address it to is the principal recipient, but also making sure that the principal recipient knows that lots of other agencies have been informed so that the matter is not a private matter any more.
I think this puts pressure on all parties.

If you'd like to find out the names of your local councillors and your MP then we can begin and we could probably have something to send off on Monday by email and also by post.


 

[BankFodder]

Have you read this?

A guide to adult safeguarding in Shropshire | Shropshire Council

SHROPSHIRE.GOV.UK

---

What is adult abuse and who is at risk?

 

I haven't looked through it but I suggest that you start looking through it carefully and also the Bristow safeguarding policy which I posted up earlier. Make notes and reference points particularly where you believe that their own safeguarding policy has been disregarded.

These will be included in the letter if you think you would like to go that way.

 

Also

Advice about domestic abuse

WWW.WESTMERCIA.POLICE.UK

---

Find out what classes as domestic violence and abuse, how to report it and how, under Clare’s Law, you can find out about a possibly violent partner.

 

[BankFodder]

Are you working? Do your employers know about this situation?

[Feelingdownandout]

yes i am working and my employers know about the domestic violence and abuse - I only have until 6pm today to contact Bristow & Sutor - do I complete the form they have asked me to and call them as they have instructed.  I have to go into the office today so am so tight on time.... its making me feel sick 

they want salary details etc... do i give them that?

 

one of my neighbours knows the local councillors so she has reached out for me and explained the situation, hoping i get a reply today

Edited September 3, 2021 by Feelingdownandout

[BankFodder]

Maybe @dx100uk will differ – but I don't see anything wrong with engaging with them to a certain extent. I don't think you should give the impression that you are especially complying with them but I think having a dialogue so that they don't have an opportunity to say that you are simply uncooperative – would be helpful.

However I'm not sure about filling in the form.

I do think that writing them a letter explaining exactly the situation but making sure that the council is copied in as well as your member of Parliament.

Of course this is quite a lot of work to do today – but I think it is important to give the impression that you are cooperative. Once again, maybe @dx100uk will have something to say about this.

My site team colleague has already advised that you make the council tax as well as utilities bills a priority and because it appears that you can't afford the backlog all at one go, I think that engaging with these agencies won't do you any harm. When people are completely uncooperative, that tends to get the backs up of councils and enforcement companies and they are less likely to help you.

At the end of the day, of course, you want this file taken back by the council and that they organise a proper scheme.

If you are able to get the names of the councillors from your neighbour today or find them from some other source then I would copy them in as well to any letter which you are going to send to the bailiffs and to the council. Once again, there are huge advantages in making sure that as many people as possible see what you are writing and also realise that there are other people who are now in the loop.

If you have a crime reference number then I would include that in the letter.

Clearly points to leverage are the fact that you are a single parent, responsible for a child aged XX years. That you have been the victim of domestic abuse for XX years which has taken the form not only of domestic violence but also of economic abuse and coercive control.
If you have previously told any of these agencies then you ought to make it clear that they have already been informed in the past.

Also I do think that it will be well worth looking at the abuse policies of the council and of Bristow and if you are able to identify areas in which you think they have not followed their policy then you should point this out in the letter as well. This is very important.

Are you making any council tax payments? If you are only to make any payments at the moment then I would certainly make some kind of gesture but I think that I would pay the council directly and not involve Bristow's in any debt repayment that make it clear that there is no problem dealing directly with the council and that you are asking them to apply their safeguarding policies to your predicament.

I'm ranting on a bit but I hope you get the picture

[dx100uk]

 quite correct there is no nharm in engaging the bailiff it they do appear. Go outside. Lock your door behind you. Tell them what you are going thru. History and are doing or going to do. Even film them if you like

but dont sign or agree to anything no matter what stunts they try and pull.

 

Dx

[BankFodder]

You should definitely film – or at least record any engagement. Best to try and simply audio record and try to do it without them knowing so that there is no sense of confrontation or conflict.

The important thing is to try and win them over and make them realise that you are vulnerable and that the case should revert back to their management and then back to the council.

If you think that you have bailiffs at the door then you must switch on your recorder first before you have any conversation with them. Make sure they understand that if you are opening the door it is to leave the house and not to permit them to enter. We must make this very clear in any recording.

 

But I think that there is a definite need for a full written account of what is happening and which should be sent to everyone

[Feelingdownandout]

B&S have told me to fill the form out that they have sent me (online) and then to call them before 6pm today.

 

i called the council when i first got the court date letter and they told me that they couldnt stop it going to court and that they would make an arrangment with me to pay once they had a liability order in place and to wait for that.  

 

it took 2 weeks for the letter to arrive from B&S, by which point my time to respond had already expired, and a NoE had been issued.

 

when i queried this with B&S they told me they send their post second class and if it didnt arrive in time that it was down to me to notify and complain to Royal Mail.  I explained my situation and i got VERY stressed, so she put my account on hold for 2 weeks (the liability amount is incorrect as i qualify for a 25% discount - daughter at college) and it hadnt been applied to my account by the council.  I have since spoken to the council and submitted discount evidence and they are saying it will take two weeks to update the system to ascertain what it is I actually owe.  

 

i contact B&S last night to make an offer of a monthly payment whilst i wait for the council to sort out what the bill is and they told me to fill the form out online, name, addres, employer and salary details an to call them no later than 6pm today...

 

i am am work today and struggling with time, so just need to know what do i do about the form.  i dont want them to send the bailiffs as this will increase my debt to them, and i am afraid they will take my car.

[Homer67]

Can you move the car to a private driveway (not yours)?  If not park it a few streets away.

 

Do not open the door to the Bailiffs, talk to them through a window.

 

 

Edited September 3, 2021 by Homer67

[Feelingdownandout]

if i can clear out the garage I can put it in there, but that is not what is worrying me, i need to know if i should be completing the form and giving B&S my employment and salary details  - that is what is really stressing me out 

[dx100uk]

No dont do the forms none of his business

your priority today is be a pest on the phone to the council and your mp

your mp can get this quashed today so can the council you are seriously vulnerable.

 

get it done now.

 

DX

[Feelingdownandout]

am i asking the council to take the account back?

 

[dx100uk]

Just explain your history.

Stop worrying about powerless bailiffs nothing they can do

 

Also email or ring your local mp.regardless

 

Dx

 

 

[Feelingdownandout]

UPDATE

 

so, i have spoken to my County Councillor, who also happens to be the Mayor! and i have spoken to the Council Tax ppl and they have pulled it away from Bristow and Sutor, and they are going to send me and income and expenditure form and agree a payment plan with me!

 

Thats one tiny hurdle, i told her that i am a vulnerable person, and she said that it shouldn't have got to this, that its not helpful to my situation at all. 

 

[BankFodder]

That's excellent news.

I suggest that for the avoidance of doubt you confirm it with the council in writing and copy that to Bristow as well.

Next thing is to start dealing with all of the debts and you will need to detail them in the way that @dx100uk has asked

[dx100uk]

Told ya.

Off you trot mr busted and stupid.

 

Here when you are ready

 

Imho parachute account asap take control of your income its YOURS get it paid to bank account not linked to anyone you owe money too. With no dd's either!!

 

Go read in the debt selfhelp group here

[Feelingdownandout]

I was surprised because i was expecting resistance and i couldnt have coped with that.  

 

i will wait for the income and expenditure form to fill in. 

 

in the meantime, I will post up the rest here....

 

its  bad read  

[honeybee13]

Don't worry, we've seen it all here.   The important thing is that you regain control of all this, you'll feel better.

 

HB

[BankFodder]

I think you will find that the direct approach expressing humanity rather than conflict will often pay dividends.

Bristow's are simply taking checkboxes and of course they want to make their money. Now that the case has been handed back to the council
dealing with people who believe it or not, have a certain social conscience and who aren't always looking at the bottom line.  

 

[Feelingdownandout]

thankyou xXx 

 

[Feelingdownandout]

can i appeal to the council to ask them to take off the additional charges?

 

[BankFodder]

I don't know if there is a particular process. Maybe there is. But anyway there is no harm in trying even if there is no process.

However it might be helpful if you could explain what the charges are in terms of how much money and why they have been imposed and over how long period.