CSA delays resulted in massive arrears

June 27, 2011

When my marriage broke down the CSA sent me a large form to fill in which I did so, promptly. Four months later they wrote again claiming non reciept of my completed form. So I had to complete another. It then took the CSA 3 years to assess my income, by which time I had apparently built up arrears of Circa £6,000. They then took out a Deduction of Earnings order, without advising me, and proceeded to take 40% of my salary every month. I then had a choice, pay my bills or feed myself. I chose the latter which lead to me building up arrears on rent, council tax and utilities, most of which I am still paying off 3 years later. I eventually lost my home and subsequently my job and had to move into my brothers spare room.

I challenged the CSA through my MP and the “Independant Case Examiner” who got them to admit that they had acted incorrectly, had broken all their own protocols, thereby causing the alleged arrears and had taken out the Deduction of Earnings order illegally.

They apologised and gave me £50 to compensate me for their catalogue of errors.

They are now deducting 30% from my new salary and my previous Council have now just taken out an Attachment of Earning Order for council tax arrears for 7% of mt remaining salary. However, I have just realised, If I was still with my ex wife, we would be entitled to about £600 pm Child Tax and Working Family Tax Credits due to the fact that the government acknowledges that I don’t earn enough money to keep my families head above water. But apparently now I am no longer married I suddenly do earn enough.

So I now have £795 pm on which to live including £400 rent £110 council tax £175 travel to and from work. You do the math. Consequently I am now, again, looking for a new job and a new home.

How can a government organisation have the authority to turn some of its subjects into financial fugatives. If this was a 3rd world government the United Nations would be sending in the troops!

Comments

  • Vic says:

    Many have been treated just as shabbily as you have been. No government remotely interested in individual freedom and justice would tolerate the practices of the CSA for a heartbeat. But administration, after administration has come under scathing pressure to do “something” about the CSA leading to the current miserable state of affairs where collection targets are more important than anything, even your human rights and certainly not their internal checks and balances. It is supposed to be illegal to harass for a debt in this country yet they bully, lie and harass with impunity and when found out offer no or insulting amounts of compensation.

    All that acknowledged leads to the real problem. There is no effective mass resistance to them and no tightly managed campaign to expose them. It is all fragmented and often ideologically suspect. Dead Beat Dads Assoc has a strange web site with some very controversial views, Facebook pages are taken down, Fathers 4 Justice sweep this under the carpet to focus on contact issues which leaves the personal crusades which I applaud but don’t get a mass movement going to really challenge them which at the end of the day needs money. If you can get a 1000+ people to follow a face book page we must be able to get 250 people to make paid subscriptions to this web site of £100 per annum to employ our own solicitors and start a class action. Never in a million years would costs be awarded against us as we all know the sheer incompetence of them, they will hang themselves when brought to the European court of Human Right.s

  • geovanni smith says:

    I agree with a lot of that post. i dont think asking for money from parents with CSA arrears dumping and money worris is quite the right strategy but i am up for a fight!

  • Terry says:

    Any way to take these scum to human rights court wouls be welcome but i agree with Geovanni. People who are already struggling to keep their head above water financialy would not be able to pay towards the site to help.

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