It turns out that I have been paid nearly £800 to little tax for the past year and I have to pay it all back immediately (before the end of the tax year). 😡
This all came about because I had a student lodger in 2009, when they moved out at the end of the year and my GF moved in I immediately told the council the property no longer qualified for a discount and thought that was that. Except they didn’t take it off and nor did they when I told them again in April 2010 or again April 2011. This year I again noticed the bill was wrong and tell them again, this time someone actual does something and also puts in backdated charges from the other years 😯
So now I’ve just got off the phone to another council tax helpline person -who by the sounds of it is subsidising her meagre no pay rises in 3 years salary with teaching computerised answering services on how to speak like a monotone emotionless drone – and she has just told me yes it’s their fault for not updating their records but sorry I have to pay it all now. She then said that if I want extra time I should cancel the DD and wait for the red letter to give myself more time to find the money, nice.

I know it was a rubbish rant, I kind of lost the will after the first minute of typing but I feel a bit better now. 8)
Hey ho, looks like I’ll be borrowing from the wedding fund for a few months…

So you’re complaining about the council giving you an interest free loan?

So you’re complaining about the council giving you an interest free loan?

Not really though, is it? A loan is where you have a lump sum and pay it back in installments, not the other way around. Sounds unreasonable for them to expect you to pay it back in one go.

You knew they were taking the wrong payments for years. You could have cancelled the direct debit and made a manual payment every month.

A loan is where you have a lump sum and pay it back in installments, not the other way around.

That’s a particular type of loan – plenty of loans which require repayment in one lump sum. The repayment terms being different to what you’re used to doesn’t make it not a loan. The OP has admitted to knowing the payments were wrong, and that he’d have to pay the difference at some point, and it appears he even has a ready source of money to make the payment with.

BoardinBob – Member
You knew they were taking the wrong payments for years. You could have cancelled the direct debit and made a manual payment every month.

After I had told them I wrongly assumed they had adjusted my payments to take into account the new circumstances.
I’m not disputing having to pay just having to do it in one go.
More to the point it took 4 correspondences to get them to take MORE money from me. It makes you wonder how easy it is to defraud the system at what would have happened if I’d have not checked the bills.

That’s a particular type of loan – plenty of loans which require repayment in one lump sum.

possibly, but it’s still not a loan, is it? It’s a change in his circumstances that he informed them about, but they did not action, as far as he knew it was sorted. So for them to expect it all back in one go it beyond what most people can afford. For you to say he should be thankful for an interest free loan is a bit silly 😕

They should let him settle it over the next year or sommit.

You knew they were taking the wrong payments for years.

I’m sure I and the OP are not alone in saying to the council “we live here, how much?” and then pay whatever the council tax demand says. For all I know I could have been under paying for the last umpteen years, if you tell the truth you don’t expect the officials to balls it up and undercharge you.

And if it’s their mistake i think a little leeway should be given, like the arrears split over the next 12months…?

Visit the citizens advice bureau and as speak to their finance part, they should help you out and find away for it spread out.

After I had told them I wrongly assumed they had adjusted my payments to take into account the new circumstances.
I’m not disputing having to pay just having to do it in one go.
More to the point it took 4 correspondences to get them to take MORE money from me. It makes you wonder how easy it is to defraud the system at what would have happened if I’d have not checked the bills.

They are useless. Glasgow council shafted me a few years ago and hit me with a massive bill due to their mistake. I got to pay it up over 6 months though.

I refuse to let them set up a DD for my payment so I do it myself every month on their website.

I should have added that I did ask if I could spread it over the next year but she said that a) I would have to pay for that privilege and B) I’d need to prove that I couldn’t pay it all at once.
Thing is I can afford it if I cut back for a few months, some others aren’t so fortunate.

Thing is I can afford it if I cut back for a few months

To compensate for living it up at the council’s expense for the last 3 years.

To compensate for living it up at the council’s expense for the last 3 years.

I can about imagine the wild and crazy lifestyle he must’ve been indulging in with that extra £22 each month.

My experience is that the CT system in use is incompetent, not necessarily the staff. After some months (they took me to court when they owed me a thousand, not the 100 they said I owed them but were unable to explain) got my coucillor involved one afternoon and had an answer in my inbox before 7 the next morning. Somebody obviously had to burn the midnight oil.

It’s why you vote them in so use ’em.

LG Ombudsman!

Cancel your direct debit so they can’t take it and offer to pay it over 6 months

Cancel your direct debit and offer to pay it back over 36 months or thereabouts, that is the same period over which their error has been has running.

If it were me I would cancel the direct debit and tell them to sod off, but I enjoy toughing these sort of things out. I would certainly make them work very hard for their money.