council tax arrears pls help

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hello

Pls i need you views on this. My younger sis is in a bit of a dilemma which she has just told me today. Apparently, she has been owing council tax for some years (some of that was being unemployed and low-income jobs). she also had letters from the council in the past and she started making random payments of £50 (very little- i know) to reduce the debt down. The debt is about £8k as she said.

She is now in a slightly better job so can afford to be making payments towards the arrears which she had been doing over several months

A bailiff called to her house in August (she just told me this today) and threatened all sorts but he didn't want to accept the payment plan of £200 a month but insisted all at once. As he didn't accept, she went on to the council's website to make £200 in August and September.

Now another bailiff appeared at her door at 620am yesterday morning and she has now panicked and that's why she has opened up to me today. She called the bailiff over the phone when he left the front door. He insisted she paid a bulk sum of £1000, and they can arrange a monthly instalment thereafter. She has said she can raise £500, and this will have to be a loan from people, but he does not want to accept it. She also explained she has made £400 on the council's website but the bailiff said he knows nothing about it.

I have advised her that if he doesn't accept it and she can't raise the £1000, she should pay the 500 on the council's website and keep trying to make payments so that in future, there is evidence of payments?

she doesnt want to contact the council directly because she is scared, they may ask for employer's details and take out of her wages.

Any other way to deal with this?

PS Ive bashed her on not making council tax payments when they were due and she should have told the council when she was not working but we are trying to look for a way out of this so she doesn't make mistakes. Should she pay the council directly or the bailiff?

Thanks

Sounds like she is only paying the current year's charge, not the arrears. Has there been a court order if bailiffs are involved, if so did she attend? Is she living at same address or do the arrears relate to another property?

Hmm, i doubt she has attended any court hearing because she would have mentioned it but i will find out.

It relates to her current and previous addresses because it goes back some years and i know she moved in her current address 3 yrs ago.

I believe its a liability order that was written on the note the bailiff dropped

She can ask the court if she can still negotiate a payment plan , assuming it is court ordered, although it would be better to do so in person at the time. Ignoring previous correspondence may count against her though. Can she take advice from CAB?

I was in the same position a few years ago. I ignored the bailiffs and just didn't engage with them and then eventually my case got passed back to the council. I then rang them and they allowed me to to set up an affordable plan with no big payment asked for. Tell her to call the council (there's nothing to be scared of) and tell them she can't afford what the bailiffs are asking so she'll wait til the case is passed back to them. It might even get them to take the account back off the bailiffs. She'll then have to set up a DD with the council and make sure she never misses a payment again. They should allow her to set it at an affordable amount though.

there is no court letter with the note just a liability order mentioned on the letter head of the bailiff's company. Thank you. i will ask her to check again

She needs to call the council and try to sort it out with them directly, if it has gone to court they can already access her bank accounts and arrest her wages (This is what happens in Scotland anyway so I assume it is the same in the rest of the UK).

Has she phoned the bailiff company directly instead of just talking to the guys on the doorstep?

An organisation like Christians Against Poverty or CAB will also be able to negotiate a fair repayment plan on her behalf.

Contact CAB, Stepchange, National Debtline or any of the free advice agencies in her area and get their help.

Thanks

this is what i suggested too but she said they could send an attachment of earnings order (if that's right ) and get employment details off her, and the amount taken off her salary would be enormous, so she is avoiding talking to them directly so as not to trigger this.

Thats why she had started making payments through her online account on the council's website instead

she phoned the bailiff company; they told her to deal with the bailiff himself. Nowhere on the enforcement company's website to make a payment.

Thanks everyone. Will tell her to speak to the council and CAB