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  • ojays
    • Oct 2011
    • 1713

    #16
    Local councils are no better.


    .


    You can't even be allowed to save the local government money.


    I am the carer for my disabled wife, and was a carer for my disabled elderly mother who has Alzheimer's.


    We have carers helping me with my mother, who come in 4 times a day.


    My wife and I receive the appropriate benefits, as does my mother.


    We live in a 1 bedroomed disabled adapted council flat, my mother lives in a 3 bedroom disabled adapted council house.


    Because of my wife's disability, she doesn't sleep very well meaning I spend a lot of time on the sofa, which also means I don't get a full nights sleep very often.


    Recently I approached the local council, with the backing of my mother's social worker. To be allowed to move my wife and myself into my mothers house, so as to be able to care for them both in a single environment. This would allow me to have a separate bedroom to be able to get a decent nights sleep, and would be beneficial to all.


    Freeing up a disabled adapted property for someone else to use.


    The social worker pointed out that if this took place, there would be no necessity for my mothers 4 home visit's (saving the council money) several benefits my mother is eligible for would not be necessary. (saving the council money) And several benefits my wife and I are eligible for would not be necessary (saving the council money)


    In all, mums social worker worked out between myself, my wife and my mother, we would save the council about £21,000 a year.


    The social worker even had a one to one with the local housing officer, to point out the benefits to the council.


    The councils answer. We could move in with my mother, but could not have our name on the rent book.


    If we were still in the property after 12 months had passed, we could apply to be put on the rent book,


    HOWEVER there is no guarantee that this would happen.


    As my mother is 89 years of age, I asked where would that leave us if anything happened to my mother.


    The councils answer. We would have to vacate the property.


    I pointed out that we would then be homeless.


    The councils answer. Then we would have to rehouse you.


    As it happens, after a number of incidents such as trying to cook a ready meal in her microwave (packaging and all) setting fire to the microwave.


    Found one night by the night carer, wandering the streets looking for her handbag (that was under her bed) and several other life threatening incidents, she was deemed a danger to herself and is now resident in a local care home. (costing the council money)


    In her rational moments she is aware of where she is, and blames me for her circumstances.


    At the bottom of the letters responding to our attempts to do the above is this:


    "We Must Make Sure That We Protect Public Money"


    I am angry because all of this was preventable, and my mother could have spent her final years in the home she has been in for the last 42 years.


    Sorry to hijack the post, just needed to get it out of my system.


    Gregg

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    • takeslousyphotos
      • Apr 2013
      • 3900

      #17
      Originally posted by \
      Having been self employed all my working life and having to do all my own returns etc. I gave up on trying to make sense of the hmrc many years ago.I decided in 2012 to take a break from work and live off my savings for a while I took 18months off and informed the hmrc at that time. I decided to go back to the rat race in sept 2013 but as an employee so my tax and national insurance is now dealt with by others.A nice steady job I thought to see me through the next ten years or so as I have no intention of working until I'm 65 as I feel the age of 60 is a more realistic age for retirement.I am now receiving late return penalty letters demanding £100.00 for the year 2012-2013 (my year out) I've just sent the third one back with another detailed description of why I'm not going to pay there demands but I feel that no one is actually reading these as the norm is a week later I recieve another automated demand.I did phone them to try and sort it out but after being left hanging for 15mins listening to an automated voice telling me they were busy I hung up.So after trying to phone them and write to them I am no further forward in resolving this issue.But to be honest after all my years of experience with hmrc I knew I was going to have to go and pay that big building a visit and speak personally with one of the minions who work there and get a form signed in blood stating I'm exempt for any monies for the year 2012 - 2013 so next week I'll be paying them a visit in the meantime I'm sure I'll be getting another late return penalty letter
      I had pretty much the same problem John......... I worked on contract overseas. When I finished up and came back to UK I took 9 months off. I went to the job centre to tell 'em I was not working, didn't want any money and didn't want to be signing on as I wasn't looking for work. I just wanted to cover my NI contributions..... That totally phazed them and there is no mechanism to cover it ............. When I went back to work, like you for a uk company, I ended up with an estimated tax bill (£ 7500) for the nine months I wasn't working as they said I must have been earning something....... Frustrating isn't the word. After lots of time and money (I employed an accountant)..... I go it down to £ 4000 as they were having none of it .......... and they threatened with court action.........Then it got really stupid.......... I came to a deal with them to pay it in instalments by direct debit £ 400 a month. I wasn't happy but I wanted them off my back. I got a letter from them confirming the dd and the dates they were going to take it ........ I generally don't check my bank account much and two months later I got another letter saying as I hadn't kept up the payment arrangement the whole amount was due ....... I checked with my bank and HMRC hadn't set up the dd or requested any money........


      So I went to the offices .............and believe me John, you will want to do physical harm to those people when you are done.......... and, take a look, all the desks are bolted to the floor.

      Comment

      • grumpa
        • Jan 2015
        • 6142

        #18
        WOW

        Comment

        • takeslousyphotos
          • Apr 2013
          • 3900

          #19
          Originally posted by \
          WOW
          Very much WOW! ........ They just said that I must have been earning something for nine months as I wasn't claiming unemployment benefits ............. They wouldn't accept that I was living off the money I had in the bank........ Nor would they accept that not taking the money for the monthly payments was their fault ......... They just stuck to the line that I hadn't kept to the agreement ........... I so wanted to reach over that desk and punch that blokes face .

          Comment

          • Gern
            • May 2009
            • 9273

            #20
            Originally posted by \
            I so wanted to reach over that desk and punch that blokes face .
            Tempting I know Peter, but don't do it! It's only a momentary pleasure and it's bound to get you talked about!


            Compared to you lot my problems are trivial. Having started work recently after a couple of years unemployment, I'm now responsible for my own Council Tax. I've had two letters from the council, each of which has been sent twice, and they have a different amount on them. I 'phoned them last week to try and get a definitive answer and I was quoted yet a third different amount. And today? Yet another letter. Guess what? Another different amount. I'm going to just pay the lowest and see what they say .....

            Comment

            • Guest

              #21
              All that is depressing but a little bit of humanity.


              My youngest son, a film editor, working in Jersey for a character who produced travel films for Television Broadcast let him down. He was eventually owed £22000.


              Crackers but my son is a lovely person and naive. Due to that he owed for Social Security approx £3500 which we paid as there was a court order despite the Social Security knowing the reasons. Plus the person in charge had not bothered to pursue the matter and look at it in depth. His name was cleared in the court annals.


              So then we found out the income tax dept in Jersey were after tax. about £4000..


              So after a short discussion Pauline and I decided that we must pay it to ensure to ensure there were no further court proceedings. So I wrote to the Income Tax Office explaining the situation and saying that we would pay the outstanding amount. But as OAPs we would like to pay the sum over a period. My son had left Jersey to obtain work in the UK as there was little work in his line within the Island.


              Well blow me down. We had a letter back from the Income Tax Office. It s very nice of you to suggest this arrangement. However we do not want you to get into difficulties with your finances over this matter. We have therefore placed the matter in the archives to be considered again if you son returns to the Island to work. Now can you believe that.


              Laurie

              Comment

              • Guest

                #22
                Just occasionally you meet a "proper" human in a tax office. When I retired, my income tax code shot up, so I phoned my "local" office in Bristol. We worked out that head office had (without bothering to ask) decided that I would be continuing to work, so they added my wages and pensions together, putting me into another tax band.


                A short while ago, a friend told me how his mother-in-law went to work in the tax office, but left after only a month, because she couldn't stand it; apparently staff, there, were openly boasting how they had cheated taxpayers into paying too much, and (worse) they were being applauded for it.


                I am now left with the nasty suspicion that the business, at my retirement, might have been deliberate.

                Comment

                • Guest

                  #23
                  One of the problems I believe Edgar is that some of these people forget they are supposed to be working for each person those in the land that they come across. Plus they are actually, in the main, being paid their salaries by those people they are supposed to be serving.


                  In fact it is I have decided it is the power thing. They really do think of them selves as god (no capital) yet they are in fact little devils. When , as I mentioned above, I sorted my son's social security problem the most helpful lady was first class and laid out all matters and the position and how to progress. Then we were ushered into the supervisor's office. A women task force commander extraordinare with lipstick and all the other trimmings who laid down the law. That was until I had finished and the attitude had changed as I had suggested that the Jersey Politician (small community and matters are sorted in quick time) in charge should be consulted over the matter.


                  Laurie

                  Comment

                  • grumpa
                    • Jan 2015
                    • 6142

                    #24
                    Originally posted by \
                    Very much WOW! ........ They just said that I must have been earning something for nine months as I wasn't claiming unemployment benefits ............. They wouldn't accept that I was living off the money I had in the bank........ Nor would they accept that not taking the money for the monthly payments was their fault ......... They just stuck to the line that I hadn't kept to the agreement ........... I so wanted to reach over that desk and punch that blokes face .
                    I was an el

                    Originally posted by \
                    Very much WOW! ........ They just said that I must have been earning something for nine months as I wasn't claiming unemployment benefits ............. They wouldn't accept that I was living off the money I had in the bank........ Nor would they accept that not taking the money for the monthly payments was their fault ......... They just stuck to the line that I hadn't kept to the agreement ........... I so wanted to reach over that desk and punch that blokes face .
                    Here's the deal, take a person whom has never done a damn thing worthwhile in their life, nor would they ever be capable of real accomplishment and put them in a position of power and that's what you get. When I left the military and came home I could not find a job killing people and breaking things so I became an electricians apprentice. I worked at the trade and became a "journeyman mechanic" {5 years} a few years later I took the civil service exam, passed and started working for the New York City School Construction Authority. When I first started working there as a "newbie" another mechanic came to me and wanted to know just what the hell I thought I was doing!. I of course replied that I was doing so and so and just what the hell was HIS problem? His answer was that I was working way too fast and that I was making the rest look bad. I said that in my opinion I was working at my normal pace as I had done for years, he proceeded to explain to me that I was no longer on the "outside" but was now on the "inside" and that I better slow way down or else! Well, I am NOT the type to be bullied and after a bit of shoving {me shoving him out of my face} I was very much taken aback by such a notion but with a young son and a bun in the oven I basically had to submit. To make a very long story short I did my "20" and got out as a supervisor over 30 men. what I'm basically trying to say is that once entrenched these "civil maggots" as I called them lose all perspective of what it means to be a decent person and couldn't care less about those on the "outside" now don't get me started on the unions

                    Comment

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