So - is she a marttyr? Or a wilful geriatric anarchist?

[Caligula]

pensioner gets sent to prison for not paying council tax

No treats for a fortnight..no Yoyo biscuits, no bingo, no bowls, no WI, just has to pop into her local council run old peoples home and help out at breakfast, lunch and dinner.

TBH although she is 70+ she really didn't come across as some little old lady at all. She knows what she is doing - she CAN afford to pay this fine - she says so. She knew the consequences - she'd been warned. It shouldn't be that much of a shock.

besides of you read other threads or articles, isn't prison life supposed to be easy anyway?

Yes - they could tag her!

"just has to pop into her local council run old peoples home and help out at breakfast, lunch and dinner."

For which people in England are penalised if they've saved towards their retirement. My grandfather currently has Social Services onto him, as, for a very short period of time his bank balance was above the maximum 'savings' amounts before having to pay for his care.

The only reason this happened was because my gran died, and their joint account, was switched over to his name only.....before he had a chance to give out Gran's share of the money to the family who were down in her will!!!

QoQ - nursing home fees can be greatly reduced and often stopped entirely providing people see a good lawyer in advance. Basically get to a certain age and make the provisions - and it can be drastically ltered. And it is all legal and above board.

yes I know - but they didn't know my Gran was going to do before Grandad...and without a signed will (stupid 'will by mail' company that "forget" to make sure they signed it )

and then of course you get the situations, as in my Dad's best friends mum. She was very sensible and had the house put into her (only) son's name 15yrs ago after her DH died. Her son then collapsed and died suddenly 3 months ago.....meaning the house is now being 'handed' back to her....along with all his (massive) savings.

Argh - will by mail companies Actually no - at themm being allowed to do what they do and cause so much hassle and unnecessary expense for people at a time when they least need it. By seeing a PROPER lawyer before hand it can be arranged as a solicitor would have got them to consider that, even if they thought it unlikely.

Anyway - off topic but your grandparents got duped like that.

Hula - it was done almost 10yrs ago, and when mum asked dad if their wills were sorted he said "yes"...and showed her where they were. A "glance" at them looked ok, it was only when she died we realised that they hadn't been signed.

Of course everyone should see a proper solicitor, but when you're in your 80's, with no tranport, I guess will by mail seemed easier

And lets not mention the funeral plan.......whicn didn't cover the entire costs

Not really sure about the rights and wrongs of this one but do admire her bravery. I think it would have been cleverer of the court to have gone for tagging or community service if they didn't want her to be perceived as a martyr. (Not saying she is a martyr but clearly her mates and sympathisers will now think of her as such.)

but it is also making an example of her... to try and stop other people doing it

she obviously thinks she's a martry as she visited the retired vicar who's in jail for the same offence (although the council has said they've 'wiped' the debt as they've gone through every avenue to try and get it back )

That is what annoys me so much QofQ; that these comapnies are allowed to do it

Did anyone hear the update? She's out after 2 days, because someone paid her council tax.

She sounded very annoyed about it this morning. It was paid by a Mr Brown, and she was wondering if his first name was Gordon!

yes saw that on the news last night, apparently last year (when she escaped jail because someone paid for her) she told the council not accept payments off anyone but her.....

I personally have no sympathy with people like her. In the 1980's when Thatcher cut tax, she would have been of the age when she would have benefitted at the expense of cuts to public services. In those days, the benefactors of the tax cuts had the mindset "I'm alright Jack, stuff the rest". Now she is a pensioner, she expects the current taxpayers to carry her load. Well as far as I'm concerned, she can pay her way like everybody else. People like her benefitted from the society-wrecking government of Margaret Thatcher and it would not surprise me if she was one her admirers. Everybody has to contribute one way or other and why anybody thinks this woman should be applauded is beyond me. It would not surprise me if she accused people on benefits of being scroungers. She broke the law and she should pay the price, just like all law breakers.

No sympathy.Milking the emotive aspectsnot therational ones.
Anyone here that irritating Southerner who had retired to Devon (enough said) on Jeremy Vine yesterday?He was moaning about his bill and in the next breath admited that he had a five bedroomed house with a big garden for the sole use of him and his dw.

String 'em up I say!

Don'e mess about moondog, tell us what you realy think

Bloody pensioners!
Think they've got a monopoly on the 'woe is me' card-!

I never had any sympathy for the Tories' mythical old lady who lived in a five bedroomed house but had a low income and therefore was penalised by the rates.

I always thought she should either move or get a lodger (or two, or three, or four!)

I do have a small ammount of sympathy for her (just as I had a small, very small, ammount of sympathy for David and Claire - I think that was their names - who earned £100,000pa and couldn't afford a third child) but it really annoys me that some pensioners expect all sorts of benefits just because they're pensioners, regardless of whether they actually need it or not.
It really pees me off when some old dear (or bloke, or couple) living in a meg-expensive 4 or 5 bedroomed home in leafy suburbia (that they probably bought for a pittance and paid the mortgage off on years ago) with its correspondingly high council tax band moan about how difficult it is to pay for. If it's that bad, why the heck don't they move somewhere smaller and cheaper and sell their 'family-home' free for a family who actually need the space.
Plusit bugs me when they go on about how their occupational pensions have only gone up by a small fixed ammount. Well, so has my civil service pay and you don't catch me moaning about it. Well, actually you do, but that's a different story

I think any semblance of sympathy for this lady was lost on me when she also talked about her ever increasing costs for utilities such as water, electricity. These are not decided by the council.

Devon does have one of the highest water rates charges in the country for many reasons - but she's not the only one who has to pay such taxes.

If this was abolished what would it be replaced with?. I have seen no mention of an alternative from these people.

Was not very surprised she was sent to prison; Charles Dickens used to write about debtors prisons and it is the case that people do go to prison for non payment. If she had done this 200 years ago she certainly would not have been let out of there in such a short space of time, more likely left to die in there.

Also if you don't like the local council vote the counsellors out of office!!!. These people decide what local tax rises to incur on the populace.

Think the court was right - she may think she's a martyr but she is not. Its an ultimately futile protest.

the court will have gone through unoteen hurdels so stop thi shappening
was at a course on monday actually.
she willfully wanted to go to prison
age is nto an excuse imo

I agree, tabitha and moondog. People like her are the same ones who claim all people in debt rihgt now are there b/c they live extravagant lifestyles and how we don't know how to save. Yah, right. If you have the means to pay it, pay it. It shouldn't matter if you're a pensioner or not. Ditto bus passes, entrance fees, etc.

ooh no am looing forward to my bus pass!