job offer withdrawn because of council tax arrears

[tracyb9711]

My brother has been offered a full time job with our local council as a bin man, he has received a letter this morning telling him that the job offer may be withdrawn within 10 days because of council tax arrears from 2010.
The council tax arrears are for my mums house, my brother lived there in 2010 but the tenancy at that time was in my mums name and hers alone, my mum is nearly 80 years old now and she worries about what will happen to my brother after she dies so in 2014 she changed the tenancy agreement to include my brothers name so it became a joint tenancy, my brother was only on the tenancy agreement for 6 months because he decided he didnt want to be a joint tenant, he was then removed from the tenancy agreement.
Now the council are saying that they will withdraw his job offer because of these 2010 council tax arrears because it doesnt matter if they were in my mums name or that she was the tenant at the time, they are saying because my brother was on the tenancy agreement at one time he is now liable for the arrears along side my mum.
Is this illegal and can they withdraw his job offer??????

[teaboy2]

Re: job offer withdrawn because of council tax arrears

Has he accepted the offer?

I would write to them informing them he is not liable for the council tax arrears from 2010 as he was not the tenant nor was he a joint tenant at the time, his mother was at the time in 2010 the sole tenant. And as she is a separate legal entity, the council can not treat him detrimentally on the grounds his mother owes council tax from 2010, nor can they make him jointly liable when he was not a joint tenant till 2012 and is therefore only jointly liable from the date he became joint tenant, nor can they treat anyone detrimentally on the basis they have debts, when the job is not related to financial services (where credit records must be good).

If he has accepted the offer already then at the end of the letter put - As i have already accepted your offer, a contract of employment already exists, and therefore can not be withdrawn.

If he hasn't yet accepted put - If they withdraw the offer on those grounds or in fact any ground now, given they will likely try say it was withdrawn for other reasons after receiving this letter, you will seek legal advice with a view of taking legal action, and will even go to the local papers so everyone knowns how the council (a government body) treats people whom are not necessary debtors themselves, but related to the those indebted to the council! Also point out, its against the law for credit company's to blacklist you due to someone else having a poor credit history in the same household, but that is exactly what the council would be doing to you i.e. blacklisting you because your mother owes them council tax arrears. Advise them that they may also be in breach of the data protection act on the grounds they clearly have not kept accurate records!