I want my CSA case file under the Freedom of Information Act

September 20, 2012

My ex-wife and I did not part on good terms, and she gave birth to our daughter some two months later. Despite me offering her money each month direct, along with additional money for my daughter to receive when she turned 18, she refused and went with the CSA.

However, after the first payment was taken in June 2009, I was made redundant. I had started a new relationship, and my new partner started to mentally abuse me, making me believe her rent had been stopped because of me and making me pay it. She continued to tell me to avoid the CSA to support her, and I guess I was still hurt and suffering. I got a job in November 2009, earning £20,000pa and didn’t inform the CSA.

Yes, that was my fault. I continued in that job until I was let go in November 2010. Another period of unemployment ended in February 2011. By this time, my partner was gone, I’d met someone else but was in financial turmoil. I decided I would get myself out of trouble with debt collection, and contact the CSA later, paying what I owe.

However, in September 2011, I received a letter, the first I had received in some time. They had decided to charge me the full £74 per week from between December 2009 and February 2011. It should have been £45 for a year, and £5 for three months. Something like that anyway. They also stated I would have to pay £52 per week from February 2011 – that’s correct at least.

In short, the CSA want £7,000 from me, when I owe £4,000. I called the Bolton office, and was told I could only appeal with evidence. This took longer than planned to gather as my former employer was not forthcoming. In May 2012 I appealed.

I was then told about the one month rule, and my appeal was sent to a Tribunal. My ex-wife was invited (why I don’t know) and I made my case. I want to pay what I owe, that’s all.

My appeal was refused because of the one month rule. My new wife is pregnant, and I’m supporting her daughter financially. The CSA have taken £440 a month from me since November 2011, rather than £300 (including the arrears). What’s worse – they now KNOW I’m paying too much.

However it doesn’t end there. During the Tribunal, I was told that a decision had been made in May 2011 that I would have to pay £30 a week arrears for between December 2009 and Feb 2011. Taking into account my earnings and time out of work, that figure works out correct. However in September 2011 they changed their minds to the £74 a week figure.

I’m struggling to support my new family while my ex-wife, who has refused me any access to my daughter for the past three years, gets £3,000 extra from me that she doesn’t deserve.

I’m now requesting under the freedom of information act, and Data Protection, to receive every bit of information relating to the two decisions, to discover why they went from the right figure to the wrong one. I’m not going to let them win – I will pay back what I owe, anything else is taking money from my family.

Comments

  • Carol says:

    My partner (now ex) has a similar dispute with the CSA. They put an assessment in place for 168 weeks knowing he only worked for 35 weeks. When they are charging £98 pw that is alot of arrears built. On another assessment 24 weeks turned into 124 weeks. But the CSA say they are correct and as my ex did not keep them up to date with change of circumstances they are allowed to do this. Basically I would say that is extortion!! My ex never knew of the claim and never provided CSA with any information.

    We got his file which case workers are querying what work was done. 6 years at one pointno work was done. They even sent letters to our current address 2 years before we moved there – that I would say is fraud!

    Your file if anything like my partners will make interesting reading. You have to pay £10 to get your file from the CSA but it is worth it.

  • […] last wrote on here about the CSA messing up the amount of arrears I owe (my fault it built up), and then finding out […]

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