Incorrectly issued liability order on debt I don't owe

[sdys15453]

Moved from benefits into a job. Paid around £150 each month for both council tax for current year, and arrears. The council threatened to take me to court for unpaid council tax. I explained my payments covered the whole of the current month's installment, plus agreed arrears at an amount I'd agreed with them. Everything I had paid had been agreed between them and me. The council admitted their mistake and said that - as I thought - they'd just been taking my payment and paying it on this year's bill, meaning nothing was coming off the arrears, but my current year's council tax was paid way in front of the installments due.

 

They admitted their mistake in writing, apologised and said it wouldn't happen again.

 

Problems with Royal Mail meant a lot of my mail went astray, so when it turned up, it appeared I had been sent a Summons, sent to court and a Liability Order granted by the council for my Council tax - all without my knowledge. And even better, all for something I didn't owe. Yes. yet again, the council had been taking my payments, putting it all towards the current year's council tax installments and yet none of it had been taken off the arrears - their mistake again.

 

I wrote to the council explaining what they had done.

 

They replied in writing, apologising for sending me to court, acknowledging they had made a mistake and I shouldn't have been taken to court at all, and that they would not be charging me the court fee. Nice of them!

 

So, what do I need to do next? Where do I complain to? Does the Liability Order I should never have been given, affect my credit rating? Not surprisingly, I am absolutely fuming and have no idea where to go next, what to do, where I stand. Tempted just to ring the local newspaper but want to stick to jumping through the right hoops for now.

[Bazooka Boo]

Has the LA given you their final letter?

 

If you have exhausted their complaints procedure then you can raise your complaint to the LGO.

[ploddertom]

Liability Orders are not recorded on your credit file. I would however urge you to get your local Councillor(s) involved - best initial contact is by phone.

[sdys15453]

Thanks.

 

I did check if the Council had given me any information on how to make a complaint and who to, in their letter to me, or maybe enclosed a leaflet, but there is nothing.

 

My first thoughts were local councillor or CAB but it's not easy to get contact with either of them.

 

Bazooka Boo: not sure what you mean by a final letter. The latest one from the Council has been the one admitting they made a mistake, and no information as to what happens next and what procedures to follow to find out why this has happened and how to make sure they don't do it a third time to me further down the line. So, I've no idea if it's a final letter or not.

[Bazooka Boo]

It'll say if you're not happy with their response then you can complain to xy or z....

 

So it sounds like you've just received a standard 'brush off' letter that they send out.

If you're not happy with their response, then tell them, and tell them exactly what it is you want them to do

to put it right, or ensure it doesn't happen again, cc in your local councillors and MP.