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going to court for council tax HELP!!

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  • going to court for council tax HELP!!

    Hiyaa!
    Its a bit long winded but heres my story!!
    When I was sixteen I fell pregnant with my eldest son and got put into a mother babybunit, because I got kicked out
    Of my mums house, at this mother and baby unit there was staff that worked there that sorted all of my
    Housing benefit out for me because I was on income support they told me that if I received any council tax bills to ignore
    Them because,
    * I was under eighteen
    * I was also exepmt because I received housing benefit.
    Anyway I got letters for the next four years and I just ignored them, I then started work in febuary 2014
    So I signed off income support and I received a letter stating that the 3.60 they had been taking off ny money each
    Week had now stopped and I still owed 1200 to council tax at Medway council, so I rang them to sort it out
    And they told me I had four liability orders slapped on me totaling four thousand pounds, wich I knew nothing about!!! I explains to them
    That I had been on income support since 2009 and they basically said it did not matter I did not apply for council tax benefit when I hit
    Eighteen, I told them that I did not think you had to if you was in recieot of housing benefit wich was true up till 2010 when it all changed
    And you had to apply for them as separate benfit.
    So I offerd then 20 pound a week they accepted so I started paying, I then recieved a letter from them a month later stating, that I must pay 1500 pound immediately or they would take me to court, so I rang them again stating that I had not defaulted on any of my agreed 20 pound a week that I was paying, wich they then backed up but told me I was only paying for one years debt I still had another 3 years to take care off! I then asked how much i would have to pay for the whole debt a week and they told me 50"pound a week, on top of my ninety pound council tax this year! I cant physically do it in a single mother of two and I work 24 hours a week on min wage, so they told me they will have to take me to court and charge me with culpable neglect and ask the judge to set a payment plan, the prosecuted said there's a very slim chance I will go to prison but not a strong one I'm still paying the 20 pound a week, I'm just so anxiouse, its making me depressed I've got two little boys and ibjust cant bare the fact that I could go to prison!!
    PLEASE HELP ME!!!!
    Tags: None

  • #2
    Re: going to court for council tax HELP!!

    First and foremost ... don't worry!!
    No judge is going to send you to prison for unpaid CT if you are showing a willingness to pay.

    If your council takes you to court, you are going to need an Income and Expenditure sheet (to show everything that you receive and what money is going out) - you can get one of those done at Citizens Advice.
    This will show that you have only so much money at the end of each week/month which can be used to pay any outstanding debts.

    The bottom line is - you can only be expected to pay what you can realistically afford. And if his is the £20 a week you are paying now, then the judge would tell the council that they will have to accept it! You might even find that you are told to pay less (although that is not as likely because you are paying it now).

    Kati x
    Debt is like any other trap, easy enough to get into, but hard enough to get out of.

    It doesn't matter where your journey begins, so long as you begin it...

    recte agens confido

    ~~~~~

    Any advice I provide is given without liability, if you are unsure please seek professional legal guidance.

    I can be emailed if you need my help loading pictures/documents to your thread. My email address is Kati@legalbeagles.info
    But please include a link to your thread so I know who you are.

    Specialist advice can be sought via our sister site JustBeagle

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: going to court for council tax HELP!!

      Originally posted by Kati View Post
      First and foremost ... don't worry!!
      No judge is going to send you to prison for unpaid CT if you are showing a willingness to pay.

      If your council takes you to court, you are going to need an Income and Expenditure sheet (to show everything that you receive and what money is going out) - you can get one of those done at Citizens Advice.
      This will show that you have only so much money at the end of each week/month which can be used to pay any outstanding debts.

      The bottom line is - you can only be expected to pay what you can realistically afford. And if his is the £20 a week you are paying now, then the judge would tell the council that they will have to accept it! You might even find that you are told to pay less (although that is not as likely because you are paying it now).

      Kati x

      Thank you so much Kati for your quick reply they did say that me keeping up myvrepayments will gobin my favours! I have just read so many horror stories online! Xx

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: going to court for council tax HELP!!

        It's no problem at all [MENTION=52563]abbieb[/MENTION] - that's what I'm here for :tinysmile_twink_t2:

        Just try and keep calm, keep up with your repayments, and enjoy your little boys :tinysmile_grin_t: (they don't stay little for long!)

        If you can get yourself an appointment at your local CAB, they will help you sort out an I&E sheet - which will help towards showing you are paying as much as you can afford.

        As I said before .... try not to worry!!

        ​Kati x
        Debt is like any other trap, easy enough to get into, but hard enough to get out of.

        It doesn't matter where your journey begins, so long as you begin it...

        recte agens confido

        ~~~~~

        Any advice I provide is given without liability, if you are unsure please seek professional legal guidance.

        I can be emailed if you need my help loading pictures/documents to your thread. My email address is Kati@legalbeagles.info
        But please include a link to your thread so I know who you are.

        Specialist advice can be sought via our sister site JustBeagle

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: going to court for council tax HELP!!

          I have kept up with my payments I've paid almost 400 pound off! Its so hard atm with my boys cos I'm just so worried about if I do get a bitch of a judge who's just having a bad day and decides to take it out on me what's going to happen to my kids
          Its just stupid how they was taking 3.60 a week of me when I was on income support and they had be doing it for a year (have a letter to prove that) but now I'm working they don't wanna help yah! I told the prosecuted cos he said all we want is the money and I said well it would be better if you keep me out of prison and pay 20 pound a week because what they are getting of me in a month they were getting that in six months mebbeing on income support so what is me going to prison achieve cos I will still owe the money with no job hence back on income support again! Xxx

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: going to court for council tax HELP!!

            You will Not be sent to Prison you can only pay what you can afford so don't sit there worrying there are others on LB who will help .

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: going to court for council tax HELP!!

              You won't go to prison - there is a big difference between "can't pay" and "won't pay" - and it's the won't pay's that get imprisoned for CT debts.

              What I don't get is; why were you not told that you had to apply for CTB? Why did it take 4 years (and 4 LOs) for the council to decide to inform you that you had to apply??

              Have you thought about trying to get some (if not all) of it backdated?? http://local.direct.gov.uk/LDGRedire...LGSL=62&LGIL=0 - it's got to be worth a try don't you think??

              Have you got all your benefits/rebates sorted out for this year?? - you might find that you are entitled to something that you didn't know about ....
              You can use an online benefits checker to find out: http://www.entitledto.co.uk/benefits...c.aspx?e2dwp=y

              Kati x
              Debt is like any other trap, easy enough to get into, but hard enough to get out of.

              It doesn't matter where your journey begins, so long as you begin it...

              recte agens confido

              ~~~~~

              Any advice I provide is given without liability, if you are unsure please seek professional legal guidance.

              I can be emailed if you need my help loading pictures/documents to your thread. My email address is Kati@legalbeagles.info
              But please include a link to your thread so I know who you are.

              Specialist advice can be sought via our sister site JustBeagle

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: going to court for council tax HELP!!

                Originally posted by Kati View Post
                You won't go to prison - there is a big difference between "can't pay" and "won't pay" - and it's the won't pay's that get imprisoned for CT debts.

                What I don't get is; why were you not told that you had to apply for CTB? Why did it take 4 years (and 4 LOs) for the council to decide to inform you that you had to apply??

                Have you thought about trying to get some (if not all) of it backdated?? http://local.direct.gov.uk/LDGRedire...LGSL=62&LGIL=0 - it's got to be worth a try don't you think??

                Have you got all your benefits/rebates sorted out for this year?? - you might find that you are entitled to something that you didn't know about ....
                You can use an online benefits checker to find out: http://www.entitledto.co.uk/benefits...c.aspx?e2dwp=y

                Kati x

                Well to be fair to them they was sending me letters but because I did not know it had changed to applying for it as a seperate benefit when I thought you automatically got it If u received housing benefit wich was the case but changed in 2010 but I didnt know about it, the thing I don't get is why was theybonly taking money for 1200 not 4000!!! I have got benefits for CT now they have reduced it from 148 a month to 90 but I struggle to pay that let alone anything else!! Xxx

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: going to court for council tax HELP!!

                  Have you thought about contacting your local Councillor(s) and asking they intervene on your behalf - best initial contactb is by phone? Have you asked them to provide copies of the Liability Orders as it also seems they have not applied Single Person Discount either?

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: going to court for council tax HELP!!

                    Your local MP is a good step too (thanks for that ploddertom )
                    Debt is like any other trap, easy enough to get into, but hard enough to get out of.

                    It doesn't matter where your journey begins, so long as you begin it...

                    recte agens confido

                    ~~~~~

                    Any advice I provide is given without liability, if you are unsure please seek professional legal guidance.

                    I can be emailed if you need my help loading pictures/documents to your thread. My email address is Kati@legalbeagles.info
                    But please include a link to your thread so I know who you are.

                    Specialist advice can be sought via our sister site JustBeagle

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: going to court for council tax HELP!!

                      Originally posted by ploddertom View Post
                      best initial contact is by phone?
                      - Personally, I think that it's better to keep everything in writing .... that way you can go back through to check details if you need to :tinysmile_twink_t2:

                      Originally posted by ploddertom View Post
                      Have you asked them to provide copies of the Liability Orders?
                      This is good (if you can get them) - you can always ask .....

                      Originally posted by ploddertom View Post
                      it also seems they have not applied Single Person Discount either
                      - I was wondering about that too ... Have you got your newest CT bill - it should show if you are getting the single person discount or not.
                      Debt is like any other trap, easy enough to get into, but hard enough to get out of.

                      It doesn't matter where your journey begins, so long as you begin it...

                      recte agens confido

                      ~~~~~

                      Any advice I provide is given without liability, if you are unsure please seek professional legal guidance.

                      I can be emailed if you need my help loading pictures/documents to your thread. My email address is Kati@legalbeagles.info
                      But please include a link to your thread so I know who you are.

                      Specialist advice can be sought via our sister site JustBeagle

                      Comment

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