Can you claim back benefits took by enforcement officers

[Chick101]

This might seem a silly question to some but it is my first time dealing with this.
My car was clamped and I was told I needed to pay 423 pounds to get it unclamped I only had 540 in my account at the time, I paid the money to get my car unclamped without thinking because the enforcement officer was demanding I pay it by 9am (it was only clamped at 7:30am) as I had a school run and wasn’t really thinking, I have now been left with 115 pounds for the month for me and my six year old son! Is there any way I can complain or open a dispute, surely they shouldn’t be allowed to take benefit money? I wasn’t really thinking at the time as it was a stressful situation.

Thank you

What was the situation around it getting clamped, could you appeal it?

Why did the car get clamped? Was it unlawful?

They don't care where the money comes from, whether it be salary, benefits or by selling your soul.

I guess you need to decide if the fine can be appealed

Was it council enforcement, I’m sure they stopped private clamping sometime ago, could be wrong ?

They don’t care where your money originates from- you paid a fine, where’s the issue?

£423 to get a car unclamped????

No, you can’t claim back benefit money used to pay a fine.
Most you can do is contest the fine itself and it would take months to have the money refunded.

That’s assuming it was a lawful clamping and you were not scammed. If you were scammed you’d report to police. Then perhaps local council might help you with hardship funds and food bank vouchers.

It’s not benefits though is it. Once you have it it is your money to spend how you choose.

Can you ask family for some money to get through to the end of the month? Or your son’s dad?

Contact citizens advice or StepChange (ideally CA) for advice- As I'm assuming there are more debt issues that need dealing with! They will also be able to give a advice on sources of emergency funds :)

Good luck!

I'm sorry I think once it's paid it's paid

DWP used to issue something called a crisis loan, this would be the kind of situation they would help with. (this info may be outdated, but worth checking)

It doesn’t make any difference where the money came from OP, benefits or not.

What matters in this situation is whether your car was legitimately clamped. If so then that’s kinda your own fault and you made your choice to pay and have your car released. You’ll have to swallow the fallout the same as anyone else would.

If you were unfairly clamped, contest it!