To expect to not be chased frequently for council tax debt during maternity leave

[Panicatthezoo]

I am due 2 grand in council tax payments, please spare the lecture and judgement I know it's stupid but these are from 8 years ago when frankly I did not have the money, it was eat or pay council tax.

I have recently been contacted about this debt, however im on maternity allowance at the moment and obviously on a very tight budget,
I do have a partner however these debts are from before we were together and frankly I don't think it's fair to drag him into it when it's from a time he wasn't in my life.

Can I defer paying this debt until I'm back in full time employment or will I be made to pay on the basis I have a partner (not married) in full time employment? Any advice would be appreciated.

Has it gone to a debt collection agency?

You’ve had one letter in 6 years which happens to coincide with you being on maternity leave. So not sure how you can say you’ve been chased frequently.

In any event, as PP said, they should agree a payment plan with you that reflects your income, so definitely fill in the expenditure form and be open about your circumstances.

Some of these responses are awful btw! All very holier than thou. OP didn't ask for opinions on her ill judged choices 8 years ago, she asked if anyone had any sensible helpful advice to deal with it now, clearly she has realised it needs to be addressed and berating someone for being silly nearly a decade ago is pointless!

Apologies, having re-read your OP i think you've already had the baby, so congrats on that! Please try not to worry, these things can be sorted 😊

Apologies, having re-read your OP i think you've already had the baby, so congrats on that! Please try not to worry, these things can be sorted 😊

It’s unreasonable to expect them to just wait

Speak to your OH and seeing he can lay it to clear it

Also speak to the council about a payment plan

As you ran up this large bill long before your latest pregnancy, what on earth has it got to with your current maternity leave?
Maternity is not an excuse to dodge your bills, as I expect the council will tell you.
So make an arrangement quickly before yet more costs are added, and you face a court case, and start paying a small sum off every month.

I disagree with this. She has known about the debt for 8 years so it should have been her priority to pay it back with any spare cash she had. I’m assuming she has been on holiday or out for drinks/meals or buying non-essential items in that time. People should expect to pay their way and settle their debts.

Blimey, I'm ashamed to say I didn't know that, which is pretty shocking considering I work in welfare rights!

My council and the neighbouring couple of councils obviously do, or I'd have known better.

@Gladitscloudytoday with respect, isn't that what she is trying to do now? Yes she should not have got herself into this situation and it should have been addressed long ago, but surely she should not be berated for trying to deal with it now, at least she is no longer ignoring it.

Imagine if OP hadn’t mentioned maternity leave till her update, all the furious typists would be shouting about the drip feed instead.

You have had eight years to sort this out. They have been patient very lax about chasing you. But now they have caught up with you.

I think being pregnant only applied as an excuse if you were threatened with deportation to Australia back in the day.

You didn't know it because it isn't correct. (there are a few specific circumstances mostly in Scotland when a student shares with a non student or in England if a mixed house comes to an arrangment).

She seems to be complaining about the council chasing her up about it when she is on maturity leave, rather than realising that she should have already paid the debt years ago.

Give over - the title makes it completely clear it is a debt - not sure why people need to be so pedantic

Your reproductive status is irrelevant to the debt and would not be known to the Council anyway. They don't have access to your personal medical information!

@Gladitscloudytoday fair, but I'm pretty sure (having been in a similar situation), that she knows she has been stupid, she was asking for advise on how to fix it not for people to have a go, she can't change what she has done, no point making her feel worse.

Your local CAB or Shelter will be better able to tell you how much your local council will be expecting you to pay in monthly installments.

I second other posters, contact Step Change or Christians Against Poverty to get some more help with sorting your debts out. Both agencies are really helpful.

Would they really go through a massive legal and admin process of forcing a sale to recover a £2k debt? Seems disproportionate.

YABU pregnant or not. You have had 8 years to sort this out, why haven't you?

Seriously, how are comments like this helpful!

I'm astonished your council have allowed this to slide for 8 years! If I missed even one or two payments I'd have had the chasing letters sent to me!

I got into difficulties with council tax some time ago and it did get to the point where court proceedings were issued against me. In my case I notified the court of my situation and they kicked it back to the council. Eventually an Attachment of Earnings Order was made and the first I knew about it was it arriving in our department's post at work. All the admin staff would have seen it, it was highly embarrassing.

I'd never it get to that stage again.

Nah. You've had eight years to pay the debt. I reckon the council can chase as often as they like now

Thank you, @Comefromaway ! That's a relief.

It crossed my mind that it might not be right, purely because councils round my way tend to be very stingy when it comes to anything that's discretionary. And my project doesn't work with students, so I've only come across it when I've had clients with adult student children still living at home.

OP if you disclose your income the council will most likely agree a payment plan with you. Likely a
nominal amount now (I don’t think you will be able to defer after so long) and increasing once you are back in work. They will want to work with you to reclaim the
money. Might be worth contacting citizens advice for a payment plan you can agree.

Good luck and congratulations on the baby 🌸