Thursday 4 August 2011

Well, It’s Not Their Money, Is It?

A council could be forced to pay out more than £100,000 – for pursuing a bankruptcy order against a elderly Notts man who owed just £1,900 in council tax.
Not just any elderly man, either – according to his defence, he’s a paranoid schizophrenic who wasn’t granted proper representation.
Nottingham County Court heard that the bill for court and bankruptcy trustee fees currently stood at £68,692.
/facepalm
District Judge George is yet to decide whether this bill will fall at the feet of the council – which has already spent more than £40,000 defending its position – or be forced upon Mr Evans, which, his lawyers say, would leave him destitute.
So, in other words, whichever way it falls, the taxpayer ultimately picks up the tab?
If Mr Evans was forced to pay, he would be made homeless and the council would have to rehouse him.
Yup, like I figured…
…Adam Chambers, for the council, rejected the idea that council officers should have to take a person's mental health into account when pursuing bankruptcy claims.
He said: "A lack of capacity is not something that the council should have to take under its wing and be on the lookout for all the time. To do so would be an extraordinary step, and incur even greater expense.
People take these sorts of decisions all the time, Adam; ‘Is the return worth it? Will I be out of pocket as a result?’

With few exceptions, of course, they are taking these decisions because they are gambling with their own money. That’s not a question councils ever need to trouble themselves with, is it?
District Judge George said: "It is a fact that somebody will have to pay for this…"
Yes, indeed. I know who, as well. The same ones who always do, no matter what…

5 comments:

MTG said...

District Judge George said: "It is a fact that somebody will have to pay for this…"

It is a pre-dining tradition, respected amongst crocodiles, that victims be accorded a short moral tale and a few tears.

Lynne said...

Mr. Evans - a mentally ill pensioner who owes £1,900.

Adamant Chambers - an intellectually defficient council official who has run up a bill of £40,000 plus (in pursuit of the £1,900 debt) which seems set to more than double.

If this was a game of spot the retard my money wouldn't be on Mr. Evans.

ivan said...

Simple answer - make Chambers pay it out of his own pocket and if he can't then declare him bankrupt.

Furor Teutonicus said...

XX He said: "A lack of capacity is not something that the council should have to take under its wing XX

Then I presume we will be seeing no more council advice leaflets in everything from Polish to Alpha Centurian then?

After all the "lack of capacity to speak/read English is not something the council should....."

JuliaM said...

"If this was a game of spot the retard my money wouldn't be on Mr. Evans."

LOL!

"Then I presume we will be seeing no more council advice leaflets in everything from Polish to Alpha Centurian then?"

Good point!