So for context I’m eldest of three, mum lives on own and is a pensioner, she does still work part time but not in a high paid role. She has lived on her own for a while now, youngest sibling moved out a year ago. Since then she updated council tax and gets single persons discount. Middle sibling moved out 4 years ago and is married and has a child. Relationship with middle sib has been difficult since he has been in this relationship, we were very close before. This is despite all of our family trying to be very welcoming to partner over the years they(and their family) have systematically moved through our close family one by one and fallen out with each of us. I include myself in this and to be honest it had got so tense prior to the fall out that in a way being a distance from them was very peaceful, although things have progressed over the years and now we are on civil and polite (not close) terms. It has seemed for the last year that our mum is the new target, she has essentially been frosted out.
recently middle sibling called mum to enquire over voting papers and was told that she had informed the council they’d moved out so she could get the discount. Sibling got a bit miffed that she’d done that, apparently they shouldn’t technically be living with spouse etc and by doing this it affected chances of getting mortgage in future.
a few days later they called and told mum that they were registering at her address again. Mum was clear that would mean she would get the discount, which amounts to about £500 a year. Sibling stayed silent and informed her that was what was happening and they were just letting her know.
mum is upset understandably that 1. She wasn’t informed of their plan to continue using her address, 2. That there has been no offer to cover the money she will lose out on if the council challenge her single person discount and 3. They won’t register at current address because they don’t want mil ( who they all live with) to get in trouble but seem happy that she could.
I feel angry for my mum and want to tell them that they are wrong to treat our mum in this way. There is also the fact that it’s fraud and could cause our mum a lot of trouble with the council. Mum is so upset with everything she is unlikely to do anything because she is in shock that sibling is behaving this way. I feel it’s wrong to remain silent and enable this type of behaviour. But also I don’t want to wade in to something not involving me and stir things up more, especially when it’s unlikely to achieve anything, there is no appealing to their good nature, believe me I’ve tried plenty of times before.
does anyone have any advice? What should I do? Am I overreacting?