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single persons council tax reduction
lesleyDan
Member Posts: 5 Listener
Hi everyone, I live in rented accommodation and I was permitted to take a 2 bed property as my son cares for me. He works full time, so its mostly overnight care, and family and friends cover as and when needed in the daytime.
I was told that a carer was disregarded and I would still be eligible for single person discount, but the very unhelpful staff, are refusing to allow it unless i give them details of where my son lives. Ive explained that at the moment he stays with friends when he's not at work and not here. They've said they want addresses of his friends, information that im not prepared to give out, so they're now saying if his post comes to my address that is enough to suggest that he lives with me, so they wont give me my discount. They were really obstructive and antagonistic which i found rude and stressful. Please can anyone advise me? sorry for such a long post. Thank you.
I was told that a carer was disregarded and I would still be eligible for single person discount, but the very unhelpful staff, are refusing to allow it unless i give them details of where my son lives. Ive explained that at the moment he stays with friends when he's not at work and not here. They've said they want addresses of his friends, information that im not prepared to give out, so they're now saying if his post comes to my address that is enough to suggest that he lives with me, so they wont give me my discount. They were really obstructive and antagonistic which i found rude and stressful. Please can anyone advise me? sorry for such a long post. Thank you.
Replies
Sorry to hear what has happened. There are very knowledgeable members in the community who will be in contact with you soon to advise. Hope ev
erything works out for you!
Do let us know if we can be of any further assistance!
Thanks so much for replying, I'm sure I dont have to tell anyone in this community how difficult it can be to not only get accurate advice from the benefit agencies, but to be treated with respect and at least some basic compassion for a fellow human being, I'm trying to deal with so many different things that I feel like I'm going to explode or implode, very messy either way
Thank you for replying. I thought if you had a carer overnight or otherwise, they were automatically disregarded where the single person discount is concerned.
My son takes care of me, he doesnt get paid for it, he works full time and he also has a child. He works for the nhs, and his pay packet reflects this, he cant afford to rent a property that would be empty all day while he's at work, and empty when he has to give me overnight care, hence he's sofa surfing, which is also why his mail comes to my home.
He's not eligible for carers allowance, he works and pays his taxes, he's not being a drain on the benefits system, and he's giving up a lot to take care of me. He's a young guy, but it seems one or both of us are going to be penalised no matter what we do. If my carer wasnt my son, just a random person who I employed to do overnight care, would that person then either become responsible for paying some of my council tax, and would I also lose my single person discount? My son isnt receiving any payment from the goverment for taking care of me, so I really dont feel the benefits people/council have any right to demand any information about him at all. He works, he pays his taxes and national insurance, he's a dad and hes also good enough to look after me, isnt that enough.
This isnt directed at you personally, its my opinion on the whole nonsense that is our total mess of a benefit system.
There hasnt been one area within the benefits system where i (and millions of others) havent had to fight, appeal, be degraded, disrespected, intimidated and bullied. The resulting consequences of years of this tortuous procedure to claim a paltry amount that doesnt even bring most people up to poverty level, has had a devastating effect on my already battered body and mind, and I'm a strong, fairly intelligent person, but the last few years of relentless benefit changes, which are NEVER designed to make things better, but designed entirely to claw back money from areas where people have least control, least money, and least say in the matter. I for one, am utterly and totally sick of it.
*purely my opinions, and not directed at anyone in particular, just everyone in general*
The council tax department appears to believe that the mere fact those names from the three neighbouring properties are known to the council must be enough to prove the whole lot of them must be living together in the fourth, crowding in with the singleton!! Their accusatory letter allows for only two responses..."this person no longer lives with me".... or "I never heard of this person". Neither statement is true. They are, or were, neighbours. They live, or lived, in their own addresses, not all together in one.
The victim is passively allowing the single discount to be removed, rather than battle such a steamroller.