Maintenance changes and travel costs

[grumpydwarf]

Hi advice would be gratefully received! My exh has put an application into court for contact (not a problem as he has been offered more in the past and not taken it) and his solicitor has also written to me to change his maintenance.

He currently pays me an amount for our son and puts a small amount in ds's savings account. His solicitor has proposed he doesn't pay anything into the savings, his maintenance is £10 higher than he should be paying and wants to drop it by another £25 as he is moving in with his girlfriend 40 miles away.

Is this right? It's always been by private arrangement and I have taken him saving for our son instead of paying me extra maintenance but can the court force me to accept lower? And really taking £25 of per month because he has moved seems to take the piss a bit!! It wasn't anything to do with my ds that his dad has moved by should he go without?

If he doesn't want to save for our son then I can't force him too but to drop maintenance to because off moving in with his girlfriend seems a bit much!

Bumping please help!

I am not a lawyer but I understood that courts can take CSa amounts as guidance. Not sure moving away is reason either to reduce unless gf has kids. The best thing would be to get advice.

Have you checked the amount he's supposed to pay with the CSA? Once you know that it will be easier to determine what to do. Does his girlfriend have children? If so that would make the maintenance lower

I think you need to find out what the CSA payment would be, that is the absolute minimum he should be paying.

Thanks for the responses! Assuming that what is lawyer has been told is true about his basic salary (he has a history of lying about money!) then his maintenance should be £10 less than it is. But I know he works overtime and gets other extras from work like commission etc. I don't know exactly what he earns but roughly have been told by someone else. I'm pretty sure he has only told his lawyer his basic salary.

His new gf doesn't have any children.

The courts won't get involved. If you are unhappy with the amount he is proposing to pay you have the option of referring the matter to the CSA. Note that, once he has moved, he is entitled to apply for a reduction to cover the costs of contact provided they come to at least £10 per week.