At wits end with sheffield council

[SueLee]

The benefits sections are inundated at the moment after they finally linked their computers up to HMRC towards the end of last year, after many years of trying. Apparently it is throwing out thousands of suspicious benefit claims, and everyone suspected is getting accused of fraud with the onus on them to prove otherwise. An amazing number of pensioners are getting accused because they haven't reported private and government benefit increases every April - despite the fact that housing offices have been telling people there is no need to do this for at least the past three years. I know one person who has been very close to suicide after receiving a frightening letter, and has been ordered to repay a sum around three times the amount they gained in pension increases. Also being targeted are people who claimed pension credits after visits from the council a few years ago. Many were told at the time there was no need to report these credits to the housing benefits office. Maybe the council were nicer in those days ?

[herbalharry]

The benefits sections are inundated at the moment after they finally linked their computers up to HMRC towards the end of last year, after many years of trying. Apparently it is throwing out thousands of suspicious benefit claims, and everyone suspected is getting accused of fraud with the onus on them to prove otherwise. An amazing number of pensioners are getting accused because they haven't reported private and government benefit increases every April - despite the fact that housing offices have been telling people there is no need to do this for at least the past three years. I know one person who has been very close to suicide after receiving a frightening letter, and has been ordered to repay a sum around three times the amount they gained in pension increases. Also being targeted are people who claimed pension credits after visits from the council a few years ago. Many were told at the time there was no need to report these credits to the housing benefits office. Maybe the council were nicer in those days ?

 

Strange because I was asked for information which would have been easy to verify with hmrc. It appeared that they were in the dark....maybe teething problems.?

 

---------- Post added 19-01-2016 at 20:10 ----------

 

Close to suicide isn't good, I hope they got sorted out in the end?

 

---------- Post added 21-01-2016 at 14:31 ----------

 

UPDATE

 

After going through MP the council called me and are willing to review.

 

I still cant get through to council tax to sort, but ive paid some of that off online yesterday. Hopefully they wont take my ass to court!