Council Tax Liability Order, after I paid!

A question about : Council Tax Liability Order, after I paid!

So a couple months ago I received a Leeds City council tax bill from a previous address I left in June 2013. It was just a final tax bill of Ј32.06. I figured it was not a big issue and I'd pay it on pay day. Whacked it in a drawer and forgot about it.

So around the 1st September I received a council tax summons. Pay by the 17th, or we'll take out a liability order, it states. With court costs and other bits, the total would have been around Ј75 (I can't remember precisely as I've shredded the letter after paying it off). After cursing my forgetfulness I called them up and was told if I cleared the outstanding balance then the court date would be cancelled and nothing further would be done. So I jumped onto my online banking and paid the Ј32.06.

Fast forward to this morning and I have a letter granting a liability order against me for unpaid council tax for Ј90! So I called up the council and spoke to a very abrupt woman who told me that I should have also paid the court fines too, despite clearing the balance well before the court date.

So, okay if that's the case, I've paid Ј32.06, this Ј90 order is based on the assumption that I hadn't paid it, so what do I owe? She tells me, the full Ј90. Seems very bloody harsh seeing as the bill was paid and shouldn't have even gone to court in the first place.

Anyways, I just needed a little rant.

Best answers:

• Leeds city council add the court costs for the issuing of the summons.
  Once the summons is issued the costs become due in addition to the council tax. It appears that you have paid the council tax but not the summons costs. In these cases the law allows the liability order to be granted against the unpaid costs.
  If you had cleared the council tax and the costs before the court hearing then the liability order would not have gone ahead.
• Write them a very nice letter, explain that you forgot to pay originally and as soon as you were reminded you settled in full and that you were told that that would be the end of the matter.
  I think that would probably be the best way forward, alternatively you can either put in a complaint or suck it up and move on.
  df
• Basically they use the summons as a penalty.
  Costs them about Ј3 to issue the notice, the rest is just basically a penalty charge via the back door.
  People have proven this on various websites and thus the charge is unlawful.
  But we appear to have a two tier state at the moment where anyone in authority can do as they like when they like as the law on applies to surfs.
• raise a formal complaint, then goto the council ombudsman