Looking for debt advice

[April2022x]

Hi,
So it’s quite a long story but in short I moved into a rented home over a year ago, after splitting with my child’s father during pregnancy, I was deeply depressed and have only recently been getting back to normal.
The problem is the past year I have lived here I haven’t paid any bills at all, I’m on income support as a single parent and have little money after rent, food and things the baby needs each month.
I never rang to change the gas or electric bill into my name, honestly I just kept ignoring the letters hoping it would go away. Now I’ve ran up a huge bill in someone else’s name (previous tenant) the bill is over 4500 which I think is so much for roughly 14 months. How do I fix this? I’m in no position to call them an pay the bill.
Also I’ve not paid council tax so I have bailiffs coming to my house almost every day, I don’t answer the door as I’m worried they will take my things. I wrote back to the council letter offering £20 a month but they refused and said the minimum they could take was £50, this is for only one of my council tax bills (I have a few). I’m in such a predicament, I know it’s my own fault I just need some advice on how to make it all right.
I receive £830 a month due to cuts to the money from budgeting loans and one from a company that takes it straight from the dwp, my rent is £460 and the rest I usually use for food, household items and necessities for my child. I just don’t understand how other people manage to do it all.

Thanks for reading

Have you had treatment for your depression or even just been to a doctor. One thing people collecting debt do not want is a potential suicide - I'm not saying you are one, sincerely hope you are not, but anyone with clinical depression sends up warning signs. If you haven't sought help, do so pronto.

The Citizens Advice Bureau may be able to give you good advice and liaise with debtors on your behalf.

How are you managing with your child? That is, I would think, a priority.
You do need help and though it sounds as though you're in a lot of debt, that amount of money is a drop in the ocean to those to whom you owe it. Remember that.

I don't know how you manage on the money you receive, it's a pittance. I wish you had changed the bills into your name but that's hindsight.

Stop saying it's your fault, you've been ill, had a baby and received no help. It's scandalous.

Are you not receiving housing benefit and council tax benefit? (Assuming you are not in a Universal Credit area as your're on IS)

You can get it backdated for one month: england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/housing_benefit/backdating_housing_benefit

which isn't much but would help a bit.
You need to get the claim in ASAP. When you get to see an adviser at CAB or other advice centre they can help you with supporting letters, but you need to get the claims in so your entitlement starts as early as possible.

The council debt recovery or bailiffs will be playing hardball with the debts, asking amounts that are unaffordable. It's their job. You need to get letters in to set up a reasonable payment amount. The CAB etc will be able to help with this and possibly get it sent back to the council from the bailiffs, depending on local policy .

You will almost certainly end up getting a prepayment meter installed by the power company once you have the account set up in your own name with the correct move in date. You will need to make sure that it recovers the debt at a reasonable rate for your circumstances; they may try to set it too high initially. Again, something that CAB can assist you with.

In your circumstances it sounds like it would be better for you to go somewhere in person with all your paperwork and who is familiar with getting medical evidence out of the local doctors, if that proves necessary.

But in the meantime, if CAB can't offer you phone advice prior to an appointment, you could try National Debtline, Stepchange etc for initial professional advice on handling the bailiffs and the power company.

Try Christians Against Poverty, they achieve great results and it doesn’t matter to them whether you are a Christian or not, they are sympathetic and non-judgmental

Thank you for the replies.
I was diagnosed with PTSD, depression and anxiety a couple of years ago but stopped medication and going to the doctors for it when I became pregnant as I was worried social services could become involved if I was high risk so I’m not sure wether it could help with bailiffs or not. I am managing fine as far as looking after my baby goes, I think being a mum has helped so much in my recovery. The £830 includes rent and council tax reduction, my job centre advisor has said I am receiving everything I am entitled to. I will certainly contact citizens advice and make an appointment to see if I can get any help to get things straightened out.
Thanks again