Thank you for the advice and support so quickly. I will do as suggested - have to work through things step-by-step. Letters to council and bailiff firm look like today's priority. The paperwork I have so far is: 3 notices of impending enforcement action for council tax Los - all dated 21 November 2011 1) on 22 June 2004 an LO was granted against you @ Thames Magistrates for the amount of £430.51 incl costs - the current balance outstanding is £182.94 2)on 7 June 2005 as above etc. .. amount of £424.77 incl costs - the current balance outstanding is £203.79 3) on 8 August 2006 as above amount of £214.09 - the current balance outstanding is £172.33 These balances outstanding are a mystery to me. I can only think I got part CTB but I am very confused! (I know I have mis placed the first correspondence from the council received late last year - I can't find it anywhere at the moment) I don't know when they were passed to the bailiff - suspect beginning of the year. I have moved since but I was at the property at the dates in question!

My situation is this: I was diagnosed as bipolar a long time ago. I now work part-time (18 hours) but in the past I claimed Incapacity benefit, housing and council tax benefits from Hackney Council. I moved from Hackney in 2006. Before Christmas I was sent notice of historic LOs for council tax for 2004, 2005 and 2006 - the council tax was due in those years I think. Because my mental health is an enduring issue I live in a pretty bad state of disorganisation and I didn't open the letters about the enforcement of the LOs until last week, which is also when the bailiff for Chandlers arrived - only posting a letter - with the three LOs and adding £24.50 per order (despite only making one visit - is this permissible?). I have read the forums over the weekend and this morning sent an email to the council identifying myself as a vulnerable person because of my mental health and asking that they take the case back from the bailiffs. I have documentary evidence of my mental health status. I have not contacted the bailiffs, and because they will have seen my old banger outside my house when they visited I have parked it away from the house. Should I also send a recorded delivery letter to them as well as contacting the council, so they are aware of my mental health diagnosis. How I owe the money I don't know - I thought I was on full CTB for Incapacity Benefit. Maybe I wasn't. My mental health means I am not always on top of things, and it affects my memory adversely. I am hoping I can find some paperwork relating to that period - but as it is between 8 and 6 years ago I don't hold out much hope. Any advice appreciated. I am quite focused on staying well and getting to work and am trying not to melt down which is why I avoid the telephone - it's like a red rag to a bull to me.