help please -court summons-need any advice asap

[ohshoot]

Just returned from 2 weeks hol to find a court summonds for unpaid council tax.Am at my wits end because my dh had a complete breakdown a few years ago about financial worries.This sort of thing could undo everything for him.Basically i paid the c tax April and May as have an automatic DD set up, but cancelled it in June to avoid bank charges as i knew the money wasnt in our account to honour it ( had major unexpected expenses ).Have now sent a court summonds saying we owe 940.00.I meant to call them to reinstate the DD but never got around to it.
Will i have to go to court?
I could really do without this and i know its my own fault, but have enough probs at the mo, and if my dh gets wind of it he will be in bits again i know it.
Any advice PLEASE

Can you pay any of it now? If so go to the council offices on Tuesday morning.

Call them, explain, they may let you pay off the amount to bring it up to date and then reinstate the dd, or they may allow you to set up a dd for more so that the rest is spread over the final payments IYSWIM.

I am surprised you have a summons so quickly, but if it is only since May then I should expect they will be fairly good with you - after all you want to pay it off. They usually only get tough when people ignore them!

I was hoping to pay it over the next 5 months as the original plan-i can do that .Will they still expect me to actually go to the court ?
Thanks for your reply

Securemummy
That is exactly what i was hoping to do.Just really worried about he court thing though ? I am working all next week also.

If it is a proper summons then it will ahve a date and time of appearence on it soemwhere, if it is not then you have time to come to an arrangement with them. Even if it is then still phone them and explain, you may still have to go but if you offer a solution as you have just said I would be surprised if they turn it down.

Our council are so inefficient, we found we had to go in person when they screwed up and sent us a summons by mistake.

Securmummy
have just read it and it states a date and time.However it also says in smallprint that if you agree with the amount owed there is no need to attend.If i ring on Tues do you think they will let me set up the original DD with increased payments ?

Just have to ask, it may vary from council to council.

If you do telephone, get the name of the person you speak to and make a note of the date and time. Immediately you ring off, write a confirmation letter with all the details of your call and post it, keeping a copy for yourself. That way, if they claim no knowledge of any call you have proof.

Will do that nearlythree.Thanks for your reply.

Sorry, I got caught up in a small child and spider incident and had to go!

I agree in any case with what nearly3 says, I hope you get this resolved without having to go to the courts. Good luck