Valuation tribunal CTR

jaisouls

hello so my situation as it currently stands and has been for some years now - 1 child , partner is my carer.
UC , Lcwra, PIP, Receive Council tax reduction so have always contributed to council tax. Standard.

My local authority without warning (1 week before new tax year started last year March 2024) doubled the years bill due to extra income. This has now tipped me into a higher income bracket and so therefore meant I lost my 75% reduction. Now it is 50% reduction. I was baffled by what extra income.

After about 2 almost 3 months of trying to get through to the council back and forth being told extra income and no more detail, then being told if I’m struggling to pay to stop the direct debit until it’s sorted as it doesn’t sound right etc and almost getting into debt and trouble I was sent a explanation letter. It would seem this sudden extra income is actually carers allowance which has always been received. (Which is deducted from UC anyway) and as I’ve been told numerous times doesn’t mean you are financially better off rather receiving better national insurance contributions.

But What my local authority was doing though during this whole period of time was their policy on their website for the 2024/2025 year still stated that carers allowance was disregarded and whenever I used their benefit calculator or the governments one it backed this up and each time said I should be receiving 75% CTR So I decided to apply to take it to a tribunal. As I thought it cannot be correct.
The deadline was 22nd July 2024 to submit everything which included in my evidence, their policy that was stating carers was disregarded. The councils own submission of evidence even included their policy saying the same thing!

Anyway my hearing is the 7th of Jan. 17th December 2024 after 5 months of hearing nothing and the day the council close for Christmas meaning they are unreachable, I get an email that’s also been sent to the tribunal service from the council saying “it’s only just come to light there was an error on the schedule 2 of the policy included in the evidence” and now it’s been rectified and the correct policy has now been sent in with the evidence for the hearing!

I now feel this has made my appeal almost pointless.
Moving forward I have no choice but to pay with the councils “new rules” which are backed up via their policy which is correct I suppose but what about the last almost 9 months where for everyone living in the borough including me who were reading, following and believing a policy that went against what we were being billed. The bill doubling. Surely we are owed that extra back as shouldn’t have been paying it.

What’s everyone’s thoughts on this? I think it’s very sneaky and unfair.

And now I’ve also been told I’m expected on camera. Something I’m not comfortable with. I am going to be almost arguing with people who work and probably live in the town I live in. I have asked the clerk I do not want it on she said it’s better if you do but didn’t clarify it’s law I have to. Am I best saying my cameras playing up?

Thanks for reading I’m sorry it’s so long.

I don’t hold much hope at all and cannot believe 5 months after the deadline the council can just swoop in and change everything to suit their argument after a deadline. I thought it was a deadline for a reason. It’s like the day before court a suspect changing his whole statement to get him out the frame as he’s learnt of some new information. It’s ludicrous!

jaisouls

sorry to clarify the error was they have taken the statement of under title of income disregarded other than earnings,

the sentence “carers allowance disregarded” is now no longer there on schedule 2 of their CTR policy 2024/2025

But if you look at the policy it’s not just that line erased the whole policy is new- new wording, more pages. Different rules.

I didn’t think into the 10th month of the current tax year a council could go back and change rules from the start of it (April 1st 2024).

Bet there’s a lot of people in the borough since December 17th having revised bills and owing them money suddenly dating back to April 2024.

poppy123456

I don't have any advice for you I'm afraid because all LA's have their own rules for CTR for working age people and for this reason it's difficult to advise. I just didn't want to read and not comment but wanted to wish you good luck with the hearing.

About the video hearing, you should be able to change that to a telephone hearing.