Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

I am fuming…

183 replies

LinaLM · 21/04/2023 19:47

I am so infuriated with the cheekiness of the British councils and how they try to extract people’s money at every turn they can.

I have decided to leave the U.K. and move to my husbands country (Switzerland) with our baby. DH is moving shortly (within 6-9 months) waiting for a transfer. So I have now left the U.K. and starting a new job shortly, my baby is going to a nursery etc. So I have contacted the council where we live providing detailed explanation and asking to reduce the council tax to a single person occupancy (30% off). They came back to me literally saying that they do not believe the fact that I have now left and therefore will not remove my name from this address and therefore won’t reduce the council tax. I mean the AUDACITY! They just try to drag this on to extract as much money as they can from a paying resident. They even told me that if I’m not happy I can appeal. So this is ongoing. It’s like it’s not your bloody choice when people leave your council and you can’t bloody force them to say.

Another thing that recently just added to my desire to leave was the congestion charge discount. So we live in the zone so eligible to effectively not pay it since recently. BUT in order to apply for it you have to send tons of documents about me and the car. You have enough documents to bloody charge me that’s no problem but once I want to get my legitimate discount you just try to bury me under the paper load. I honestly can’t wait to get the hell out. It’s just been compounding for too long and now reached the point where I just hate being here.

Does anyone feel as frustrated with these complete morons?

OP posts:
Original poster
LinaLM · 21/04/2023 23:01

Candymay · 21/04/2023 23:00

But it’s not ‘this council’ anymore. You’ve moved! Remember? You’re living outside the U.K.

Show quote history

They don’t let me forget .. for now :-)

OP posts:
RetiredEastLondonITGirl · 21/04/2023 23:01

LinaLM · 21/04/2023 22:45

If dailymail says so it must be true :-)

Show quote history

Well you know what they say, even a stopped clock is right twice a day ;-)

In 2015, the mayor of Oberwil-Lieli at that time, Andreas Glarner, announced that the village would not agree to house its allocation of 10 asylum seekers and instead pay a CHF 290,000 annual compensation. He said that it was not clear if the asylum seekers would be refugees from Syria or economic migrants, as the majority of asylum seekers in Switzerland were from Eritrea. After intense debate, the village accepted to host a family of Syrian refugees and paid a donation of CHF 50,000 to a private organization helping refugees in Greece and Turkey.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oberwil-Lieli

2015 European migrant crisis - Wikipedia

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_migrant_crisis

Original poster
LinaLM · 21/04/2023 23:02

Heronwatcher · 21/04/2023 22:09

You sound like a classic example of someone who goes out of the way to make things difficult for themselves and then claims that things are difficult. Of course they won’t believe you’ve moved if you don’t send your address! I think you just need to grow up a bit really.

I take this onboard and as much as it pains me to say it I don’t disagree :-)

OP posts:
Original poster
LinaLM · 21/04/2023 23:04

Tippexy · 21/04/2023 22:57

Lol. But yay for you coming onto a mostly British site to slag off the British way of doing things!

Show quote history

Fair enough! But I’m sure a lot of people here have had horrible experiences with their councils! Regardless of their origins!

OP posts:
Original poster
LinaLM · 21/04/2023 23:07

LucifersLight · 21/04/2023 22:55

Looks like good riddance to me.

Amen!

OP posts:
Whisper23 · 21/04/2023 23:07

Your having a "horrible experience" with the council because they've asked you to prove you've moved to Switzerland and you can't. Because you haven't.

Candymay · 21/04/2023 23:07

LinaLM · 21/04/2023 23:04

Fair enough! But I’m sure a lot of people here have had horrible experiences with their councils! Regardless of their origins!

Show quote history

you’ve consulted a tax expert to make the most of tax loopholes by concocting a complex web of nonsense that you’re furious the council won’t give you a tax discount. this is the gist is it?

Mulberry22 · 21/04/2023 23:09

Sounds like it!

Original poster
LinaLM · 21/04/2023 23:09

Candymay · 21/04/2023 23:07

you’ve consulted a tax expert to make the most of tax loopholes by concocting a complex web of nonsense that you’re furious the council won’t give you a tax discount. this is the gist is it?

Show quote history

That’s one way of putting it. Another way is that I don’t want having to pay for a place I don’t live at :-)

Plus if I thought the council was doing a good job maybe I wouldn’t be too fussed but I think they are terrible and therefore I’m not too keen 🙃

OP posts:
Candymay · 21/04/2023 23:11

LinaLM · 21/04/2023 23:09

That’s one way of putting it. Another way is that I don’t want having to pay for a place I don’t live at :-)

Plus if I thought the council was doing a good job maybe I wouldn’t be too fussed but I think they are terrible and therefore I’m not too keen 🙃

Show quote history

They think you’re not being honest you see.

Original poster
LinaLM · 21/04/2023 23:11

Whisper23 · 21/04/2023 23:07

Your having a "horrible experience" with the council because they've asked you to prove you've moved to Switzerland and you can't. Because you haven't.

It’ll be sorted soon enough just not the easy way I guess :-)

Luckily they can’t actually force people to stay!

OP posts:
Candymay · 21/04/2023 23:12

LinaLM · 21/04/2023 23:11

It’ll be sorted soon enough just not the easy way I guess :-)

Luckily they can’t actually force people to stay!

Show quote history

So enigmatic

Candymay · 21/04/2023 23:13

Candymay · 21/04/2023 23:12

So enigmatic

Show quote history

Where can’t you be forced to stay? And who are these ‘they’?

Original poster
LinaLM · 21/04/2023 23:13

Candymay · 21/04/2023 23:12

So enigmatic

Show quote history

Totally! A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma! 👻

OP posts:
Candymay · 21/04/2023 23:14

LinaLM · 21/04/2023 23:13

Totally! A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma! 👻

Show quote history

And yet so blatantly obvious!

Amispringy · 21/04/2023 23:14

It's not the council coming across as complete morons here

🥱

Candymay · 21/04/2023 23:14

Candymay · 21/04/2023 23:14

And yet so blatantly obvious!

Show quote history

Isn’t it a bit late for you to be up now over there. In Switzerland. Where you are.

Original poster
LinaLM · 21/04/2023 23:15

Candymay · 21/04/2023 23:13

Where can’t you be forced to stay? And who are these ‘they’?

Show quote history

It’s a long story :-)

OP posts:
Whisper23 · 21/04/2023 23:15

LinaLM · 21/04/2023 23:11

It’ll be sorted soon enough just not the easy way I guess :-)

Luckily they can’t actually force people to stay!

Show quote history

Yeah I'm pretty sure they're not trying to force you to stay. They just want you to pay your dues.

Original poster
LinaLM · 21/04/2023 23:17

Candymay · 21/04/2023 23:14

Isn’t it a bit late for you to be up now over there. In Switzerland. Where you are.

Show quote history

Way too late! Plus baby will be up early! I just don’t want to be impolite and ignore some of the valid responses on here :-) must be my fathers side in me!

OP posts:
Candymay · 21/04/2023 23:17

Can’t you just go down to their office on Monday morning and take a toblerone as proof you do not live in this country?

Candymay · 21/04/2023 23:18

LinaLM · 21/04/2023 23:17

Way too late! Plus baby will be up early! I just don’t want to be impolite and ignore some of the valid responses on here :-) must be my fathers side in me!

Show quote history

Of course. The baby. The baby who has nursery all booked up. Attends regularly. Abroad.

Original poster
LinaLM · 21/04/2023 23:20

They still tend to wake up in the morning :-)

but I’m glad to see you are following the story xx

OP posts:
Whisper23 · 21/04/2023 23:22

Arsehole. Pay your council tax.

friendlycat · 21/04/2023 23:22

FictionalCharacter · 21/04/2023 20:25

Your dh should have been dealing with the council tax in the first place, not you. He’s the one still living in the house and claiming the single occupancy discount.

Surely this