Campaign Group Summons City Council to appear at Court.

Nottingham City Council had been asked to meet with the Scrap the Bedroom Tax campaign group back in December last year and despite repeated attempts at a dialogue and giving Nottingham City Council ample opportunity, no meeting has taken place. 

The campaign group were informed that Cllr Dave Liversidge was willing to meet campaign members and discuss concerns the group have yet this has not happened. The group made a final request to both Cllr Dave Liversidge and Cllr Graham Chapman for a meeting but this request like others met with no response from either Councillor.

The summons today (22/5/14) is to draw attention to the Councils continued court actions against Bedroom Tax victims and the failure to follow procedures to prevent evictions or further court action.

Despite claimants with arrears that are reducing and payments being made, the council are still pressing on with court action and it is because of this and other failings that the council have not taken care to avoid, the campaign group members are serving a summons to meet to discuss these matters in a more public forum.

After serving the summons at 1pm, the Scrap the Bedroom Tax, Defend Council Tax Benefits Campaign group will be moving to the courts for its

1.30pm campaign outside the County Court on Canal Street. (at the back of the bus station)

Local campaign group calls meeting with Nottingham City Council over bedroom tax pre-court protocol failures.

Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Scrap the Bedroom Tax Defend Council Tax Benefits campaign have requested a meeting with Nottingham City Council as a matter of urgency amid concerns that the Council are failing to follow the pre-court protocol for tenants hit with the bedroom tax.

The campaign group are concerned that the council is not engaging with tenants who are in bedroom tax arrears, not giving tenants the information they need, and not trying to make arrangements with them before taking them to court. 

In the most recent example, a tenant who is less than four weeks in arrears and whose arrears have been decreasing since January, has received a court summons for possession of their home from the council.

This is the second time the campaign group has requested in writing, a meeting with Councillors, as well as previously making a verbal request.

We will keep you up to date with the outcome of this meeting request.

Bedroom Tax Protest

The Scrap the Bedroom Tax, Defend Council Tax Benefits campaign group are holding a protest against the bedroom tax on Saturday 5th April 2014 from 1pm at the Brian Clough statue (off Market Square, Nottingham).

Please come along and show your support.

Solidarity for Ross Longhurst

Council Tax protester Ross Longhurst could face going to prison.

Later today (13th March 2014) the council tax protester Ross Longhurst, well known for his Robin Hood hat when he is protesting against the Council Tax is due in Magistrates Court over non-payment of council tax.

Last night the spokes person for Scrap the Bedroom Tax, Defend Council Tax Benefits Campaign made this statement.

many people are being forced to choose between food, heating and paying bills because of attacks on Council Tax Support and Bedroom Tax and we give support to anyone who cannot pay the council tax who is now being asked to pay. We are giving advice to people on a case by case basis.

We give solidarity to Ross Longhurst who feels so disgusted by the attacks on benefits that he is making a stand.

The immoral maze of Britain's benefits system

The Guardian, Tuesday 25 February 2014

• Zoe Williams laments that the left can't countermand the image of the "not really" disabled by quoting figures (It's the cumulative impact of benefit cuts that is shocking, 20 February). True; but it would help if Rachel Reeves ("tougher than the Tories on benefits") didn't join in the narrative.

Labour councils are persistently pursuing residents who are in council tax and bedroom tax debt – largely the consequence of benefit reforms – with summonses, bailiffs and evictions. This sends a message that those under attack at best aren't worth fighting for and at worst deserve it. A national local council campaign of legal non-co-operation with the council tax support scheme and bedroom tax, backed by community groups and campaigners, alongside a serious demand for David Cameron to make up the funding shortfall, would cut through any existential doubt that such mistreatment was in some way justified, would give hope to those under attack, and pave the way for fighting off other disastrous welfare reforms. If not now, when?
Cathy Meadows 
Nottingham & Notts Scrap the Bedroom Tax Defend Council Tax Benefit

Full article here

Nottingham City Council make 20% cut to council tax benefits

The Scrap the Tax, Defend Council Tax Benefits campaign group were out today campaigning against the 25 Million in cuts to services & benefits.

Residents in the city who are on welfare now face a 20% cut to the Council Tax Benefits they receive. This is roughly £250 a year that people on low incomes and the unemployed in very little benefits will have to find to pay council tax. It is unacceptable that the council should chose to impose these cuts on the residents of Nottingham, especially those who rely on welfare.

Becci Heagney was interviewed
by East Midlands Today
reporter Quentin  Rayner.

Once again the low wage earners and unemployed will be hard hit again after one round of benefit cuts at 8.5% last year, this cut of 20% comes at a time when the Council has increased the rent on its housing stock by more than 17%, these cuts to benefits coupled with the increase in Rent and Council Tax is unacceptable and it is putting people who are already hard hit in to even more hardship unnecessarily.

Nottingham City Council has more than enough reserves to bridge the gap yet they have decided to do the Tories dirty work and have made cuts in welfare benefits. Anyone can become unemployed at any time and may need to access a welfare benefits system that no longer provides the support when needed.

In the cuts to services, the council announced that 76 posts will close to save money, this is at a time where the council have also in the same breath announced that they have taken on 50 apprentices. 

©2014,BBC East Midlands Today.

The Scrap the Tax, Defend Council Tax Benefits Campaign group are holding their next meeting on the 18th March 2014 @ 7pm at the Chase Neighbourhood Centre in St Anns. The meeting is open to anyone who wishes to attend and offers support and information for those who are suffering because of the Bedroom Tax and Council Tax Benefit cuts.

Protest, Full Council Meeting, 3rd March 2014

PROTEST!

Where:      Outside Council House

When:       Full Council meet to agree their budget on 3rd March 2014.

• 20% cuts to council tax benefit proposed. 

• Four times as many people referred to bailiffs in 2013 as 2014 for council tax debt.

• Above inflation rate council house rent increases.

• Closure of Sneinton House – hostel workers made redundant and loss of hostel space for 40 men.

• Closure of Healthy Gay Nottingham.

• And more….

Meanwhile the Council continue to spend money pursuing possession proceedings for tenants in debt because of bedroom tax.

PROTEST!

Monday 3rd March
1pm Market Square

Meeting on 4th Feb

Letter to Nottingham City Council

27 January 2014

To Nottingham City Council

We are writing regarding the Consequential Provision Regulations (CPR 2006).

On  9 January 2014 it became headline news that Central Government and Local Councils were not following these regulations in relation to the Bedroom Tax.

Summary

• Since the news about CPR 2006 broke, two of our members have been told by Nottingham City Council that the regulations, which exempt them from Bedroom Tax, do not exist.  We urge the Council to investigate this.
• Nottingham City Council has failed to swiftly and promptly devise or implement a strategy to stop charging and to refund tenants who are exempt from the Bedroom Tax under CPR 2006 or has failed to make known such a strategy.
• We are requesting information on what the Council has done to follow the regulations since their existence became public knowledge.
• We note that Nottingham City Council say that it will not set a no evictions policy for tenants in arrears because of bedroom tax because it is “illegal” (not correct), but they appear to show no such determination or motivation to take action to keep to housing benefit rules.
• We are requesting information on what the Council has done to follow the regulations since their existence became public knowledge.
• We note that Nottingham City Council say that it will not set a no evictions policy for tenants in arrears because of bedroom tax because it is “illegal” (not correct), but they appear to show no such determination or motivation to take action to keep to housing benefit rules.
• We note that last week Nottingham City Council have publicized a motion calling on the Government to scrap the bedroom tax (This is the second such motion in 7 months), but have put no such resources into dealing with the issues raised by the CPR 2006.
• We call on Nottingham City Council to devise and implement an appropriate strategy to respond to errors regarding this regulation.
• We propose a strategy.
• We note that the Council have failed to respond to two letters sent by the campaign and two questions that were submitted to a Council Meeting.  This is not an acceptable response from elected representatives.
• We express concern and give examples of the impact of the bedroom tax and call on all Nottingham City councillors to act to ensure that the Council responds to this letter and that they implement our proposed strategy urgently. We also call on councillors to contact us to discuss the practicalities of a No-evictions policy for Nottingham similar to that implemented by Broxtowe Borough Council.

Main Letter
We have been contacted by two of our members who are being charged Bedroom Tax who read the recent headlines (9 January 2014) about Consequential Provision Regulations 2006 and wanted to inform the Council that they were exempt from Bedroom Tax under these regulations (having been tenants since before 1996).  They were both told (independently) that no such regulations existed.  No information was provided about how to get charges stopped or how to get a refund on Bedroom tax that has been paid.  They were simply told that the regulations did not exist. 

We are extremely concerned that Nottingham City Council is misinforming tenants and charging and failing to refund tenants who are exempt from the Bedroom tax.

Please would you investigate this matter.

Nottingham City Council has repeatedly told the public that they cannot implement a No-evictions policy for people in arrears as a result of Bedroom Tax because it is “illegal”.  They have also said that Broxtowe Borough Council are not implementing such a policy when in fact Broxtowe Borough (with 17 Labour, 17 Conservative and 10 Lib Dem councilors) have agreed, and is keeping to a no evictions policy.  However they have shown no such determination or motivation to keep to Housing Benefit regulations that have recently come to light and correct mistakes made by failing to follow Housing Benefit rules. 

Last week (week beginning 20 January 2014) Nottingham City Council publicised that a motion is being put forward at the next Council meeting calling on the Government to scrap the bedroom tax.  Last July, the Council put forward a similar motion.  It is clear that such motions have no effect.  We question why the Council are putting resources into empty gestures while failing to address the CPR 2006 issue which would free some people from the bedroom tax.

We are calling on the Council to immediately agree, publicise and implement a strategy to stop charging tenants who are exempt, and to refund tenants who have been charged in error as a matter of great urgency.  We are calling on them to use their influence and leadership to urge all Social Housing Providers with tenants in Nottingham to do likewise.

Please would you inform us what Nottingham City Council has done to publicise the regulations, to find out which tenants are exempt, to stop charging people who are exempt and to refund tenants charged in error.

We propose the following strategy:

• Immediately examine records of all tenants who have been charged with bedroom tax to date, or who contact the Council to enquire about the CPR 2006 exemption. Identify all those in continuous receipt of Housing Benefit since before 1996.
• For all those tenants, award Housing Benefit back to 1st of April 2013 immediately. (including those who have been awarded DHP).  Refund all payments made by tenants due to the error. Confirm in writing.
• Publicise the exemption to alert all Nottingham City Housing tenants and all other social housing tenants for whom records don’t go back far enough or who have been forced to hold more than one tenancy during that period.  Encourage them to contact the Council.
• Respond to all enquirers accurately and promptly.  Immediately examine records and where no records exist the onus is on the Council to prove the tenant is not exempt. 
• Inform tenants where they can get free independent advice.

We note that the Council have failed to respond to two letters sent by the campaign and two questions that were submitted to July 2013 Council Meeting.  This is not an acceptable response from elected representatives.

The Bedroom Tax is causing untold pressures on vulnerable and disadvantaged households.  Every week Scrap the Bedroom Tax Defend Council Tax Benefits Nottinghamshire hears of people only going out once a fortnight to shop and pay bills, some spending the day/evenings away from home to reduce heating bills, using food banks, having to borrow from family and friends etc.  We have also heard of tenants having suicidal thoughts and of two attempted suicides prompted by the Bedroom Tax.

We call on all councillors to take leadership on this issue and act to ensure that the Council responds to this letter and that they implement our proposed strategy urgently. We also call on councillors to contact us to discuss the practicalities of a No-evictions policy for Nottingham similar to that implemented by Broxtowe Borough Council.

Yours faithfully

Cathy Meadows

Chair

defendcounciltaxbenefits@yahoo.co.uk

CTB Information Meetings

Unable to pay your 

Council Tax Bill?

Worried about getting 

into council tax debt?

Want to build solidarity with other claimants to fight these cuts?

CTB Information Meetings

information, support, campaign

Every 2 weeks starting Thursday March 21, 7pm

Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Defend Council Tax Benefit Campaign is running regular sessions in the city centre from Thursday 21 March to monitor the impact of Council Tax Benefit cuts, provide information to people who may not be able to pay their bills and invite them to join the campaign.

The Government has scrapped the national Council Tax Benefit scheme and from 1^st April this year local councils have to start their own scheme with less money. Under Nottingham City’s new Council Tax Support Scheme, council tax benefit is being cut by 8.5% for all working age claimants and from April 2014, Nottingham City Council proposes a cut of 20%.

Council tax bills are arriving on peoples’ doorsteps this month causing anger, anxiety and distress as many claimants already on the breadline are being asked to pay amounts they can’t afford.  The cuts affect people on low incomes, in part time work, unemployed or unable to work because of sickness (pensioners are not affected at the present time) 

This is not an individual problem for claimants, we need to build solidarity to support people who can’t pay and build a campaign to fight these cuts. 

The sessions are:

 

7pm Thursday 21 March and every alternate Thursday
International Community Centre
Mansfield Road
Nottingham

For more information (and to check re holidays etc.) contact:

Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Defend Council Tax Benefits Campaign on 07505 135 807 

or by email on: defendcounciltaxbenefits@yahoo.co.uk

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