If you do nothing and your friends even keep paying the council directly, they will probably attend anyway at their leisure and attempt to levy in order to create fees for them to collect imho

Good luck, chase them down. They don't like it when we give them their medicine. A nic e fat CCJ against one of these predators would be even better

Yes all too true ploddertom, that is the catch 22 by which they can try to royally shaft us. CTax is payable, until benefit sorted, delays give them the chance to gain LO as debtor has no money to pay on account, if processing delayed, bingo a win/win for council and bailiffs. Even more abhorrent where they are related like Capita and Equita who are more likely to let the dogs out prematurely.

Srill should have been a backdated CTB payment from date of claim imho with the previous council

Normally CTB is paid from date of claim, but it remains payable until CTB granted and in theory they refund the overpayment. in practice it seems that they are going for a liability order and sending in bailiffs before the claim is sorted.

pensioners may well come under the vulnerable category , and I think the pension credit may be a key to the solution.

You are on income support, do you get Council Tax benefit? as you should Something is not right here, can you post up further details as to the original debt, and payments made to bailiffs Did the council know you were on IS before they sent the bailiff in? If they did were they aware of the NSEA guidelines 2002, which may put you in the vulnerable category and mean that deduction from benefit is the preferred option? Don't worry there is some great help on here. It may be beneficial to post up some details with personal identifiers removed so the experts can look for improper charges

How much is the Liability Order for, and for what year(s)? Is there any benefity entitlement or disability issues? these can have a bearing on bailff action if they are in a potentially vulnerable group Others will be along with more concrete advice imho

I should hang fire a while and let others post further advice, is there immiediate danger of bailiff attendance? or have they given you a timescale in which to cough up the full amount? the ideal would be an arrangement direct with the council, and the bailiffs gone, others will know best if and how to do this (sorry rebel our posts on vulnerability must have crossed)

I know it is little comfort but you should never give car details over the phone to a bailiff, Others will know if the resultant levy is legal, and if fees can be applied for it. Don't worry, the crew on here will be along to over help in the fullness of time If you are pensioners, you could well come into the "vulnerable" category, for the NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR ENFORCEMENT AGENTS MAY 2002 Those who might be potentially vulnerable include: the elderly; people with a disability; the seriously ill; the recently bereaved; single parent families; pregnant women; unemployed people; and, those who have obvious difficulty in understanding, speaking or reading English (thanks for this info hallowitch) Above all at this stage, try not to worry constructive help is at hand. If you do come under this category bailiff action may be regarded as inappropriate as it only increases the indebtedness, with no realistic prospect of ever being free of bailiffs and their fees

You could eke it out for a month or two, but it would be very messy and as fork-it has said, if you have dependents try the LA and CAB and Shelter would be two organisations worth trying also: http://www.shelter.org.uk/, and http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/

If they know your local Councillor and MP are in the loop (copy them in) and they can be seen to be acting in a less than scrupulous manner with potentially vulnerable debtors, adding to the indebtedness with outrageous and possibly dodgy bailiff fees their joint and several liability for the actions of "their bailiffs" ( re-iterate this) and the possible adverse publicity such action garners then yes they should help imho

Something smells here. Are the arrears for a period whilst you were both students? If so the bill should be £0.00 as pointed out by ploddertom, students are exempt from paying council tax, and the University/College issues a form to give to the council revenues section for them to "kill the bill" Did you inform the council of your student status, and submit the form, or kept trying to pay not knowing you didn't have to?

As you are reliant now on means tested benefit, and also CTB and HB are being paid, the council should allow a direct deduction from benefit for the arrears, and take it back off the bailiff, Email and follow in writing to CEO, Head of revenues, and councillor and MP, the benefit situation may well put you into the vulnerable category, making bailiff involvement inappropriate, as their constantly adding fees mean the debt may never be discharged

Just a question, on the bottom of the bailiff notuice are transaction charges detailed for card payments, are these legal for debit cards?

Copy the entire first post to your local councillor and MP imho

I would be inclined to continue as otherwise the council and bailiffs will think they have won, and carry on in their own sweet (not) threatening way with you and others. Make sure any agreement is agreed in writing. just my opinion Others will know more though

As you are on ESA, is some of it Income Based? have you applied for Council Tax and Housing Benefit? if not why not, as if you qualified for it this would affect the amount owed on a current years liability order.

If it is a Capita/Equita stitch up the fact the debtor is vulnerable would not even cross their tiny minds in their dash for illicit cash imho In these circumstances lettersand emails to Council CEO, and Head of Revenues, outlining the bailiffs outrageous behaviour, and reminding them that the council is jointly and severally liable for their bailiffs transgressions, with copies to local councillor and MP is a good move

That is a No No pay anything owing into the Council's online payment system, take a screen shot of the transaction page, (Press CTRL and Prt scrn keys, and go into paint or a photo editor and press CRTL V to copy the image)and print off the receipt on completion. Take it to the Council and show the proof . No debt to ground the LO, so court action would now be vexatious imho. Is this another Council outsourced, with an allied bailiff company like the Capita/Equita scenario I wonder...........

I think you have 6 years from the date of payment before action is statute barred, others will know more

Thanks TT extremely interesting

You have a receipt for your purchases, and I cannot see how you could be guilty by association, as you paid for YOUR goods.

I would edit the post to remove the full name of the obnoxious greedy bailiff, to say a Mr TC of the bailiff company, and remove details of his exact location, This info is best in a PM. Excellent action by your son BTW, i hope the MP goes on and does his job and uses this to ask serious questions about the use of distress, and it's attendant fees on the debt, on low income families. I won't holld my breath though Good luck and I hope you get this sorted with the excellent help on this forum.

Your Mp will probably reply by letter when they have got some sense or details as to what has been going on out of the council.