The Ineptitude of Local Government

In July of this year, Simon submitted our yearly application for Council Tax and Housing Benefits. Since I'm a student, and because Simon has pretty much given up on the ice cream van, we are a "low income" family. We get by, but it's not easy. It helps if we have a reduction in our weekly rent, so we sent in our application.

While the application was being processed, the local council agreed that we would pay £100 every month, and any arrears would be paid off when I received my student loan the end of this month. We stuck to that, paying the £100 every four weeks.

In the meantime, the council keeps requesting more information from us. First they wanted our financial books from the shop we used to have. They've wanted bank statements, which we then had to request from our bank (at a charge each time since we're currently "paper free" banking customers). It's dragged on and on and on ...

Now the council has decided that they don't want to honour their end of the agreement. The admit they agreed to those terms, but now they've decided to take us to court to seek repossession of our house! They said it's taken too long to get the bulk of their money (which they might not even receive if we are awarded benefits, reducing the amount outstanding), even though it's their fault that this wasn't resolved ages ago.

And at the same time, they've sent another letter requesting more information for our benefits claim! One of the pieces of info they want is the letter saying how much I will be getting in student loans and grants this year.

I don't have one.

So I phoned the council in charge of that particular bit of my life, the county council. Yes, they received my application back in May. It was one of the first they did receive, thank you for being so prompt, etc. No, they haven't processed it because they need more information! Did they write or call me to get this information? Nope. They just sat on it.

I'm trying to convince Simon to go to the Citizen's Advice Bureau to find out what we can do about the local council going back on the agreement and trying to kick us out of our house. I think it's going to take some doing. I might have to light some firecrackers under his ass, but I'll get him there.

Yes, I'm pissed off.

Update: Citizen's Advice says the council can do pretty much whatever they damn well want to do. It's the council's cock-up, and yet we're left holding the bag. They did say that if it's all sorted before they take us to court, we should be all right though.