As I have noted many times before, councils are the enemies of the people!
Article below:
On the 8th of February a man took his own life. Peter Williams was a gifted engineer, whose invention, still manufactured today, landed him in the Guinness World Records, but he was driven to bankruptcy and suicide by an unthinking and inhumane bureaucratic system.
Falling ill after his diabetes medication failed he fell into arrears on his council tax.
Months later, having paid of these arrears in full the council charged him £1350 in court costs. Unable to pay but not refusing to, he made an offer in 2005 to pay in instalments, this was refused.
From 2008 onwards Peter’s friends and loved ones wrote letters and campaigned to try and get the Council to recognise Peter’s situation and vulnerability, but they still pursued him. They threatened to evict him from his home of 30 years, a £200,000 house he owned outright. At one stage there was even a warrant out for Peter’s arrest.
Peter Williams, was diagnosed with serious depression, his GP wrote to the Council explaining that he was in the most severe category and was in danger. The Council still pursued him.
Alistair Burt, Peter’s MP stepped in to delay the date of Peter’s inevitable eviction in 2010 and succeeded in getting a stay of execution. In 2012 the firm who still manufacture his invention, SAVortex, made an offer of £1k per month to clear the now £70k + costs & interest, but it was rejected.
In February, after years of being pursued by Central Bedfordshire District Council, Peter wrote: “I have had enough and cannot stand any more of the mental turmoil,” and stepped in front of a train.
After 7 years of relentless pressure, including visitations and an arrest warrant, Peter Williams had accrued over £70,000 in interest and court fees on an original charge of £1350 for arrears that had been long paid off. He could no longer cope.
The Council’s said at the time: “we reject any suggestion that the council was responsible for this tragic event.”
In May the Local Government Ombudsman found Torbay Council guilty for carrying out the same tactics against a suicidal man who, unlike Peter, thankfully survived the ordeal. They have had to make reparations to the tune of £25,000.
In Peter William’s case the LGO have found there to be no maladministration, despite the similar circumstances, tactics and the loss of life.
I wrote about Peter for the first time today, because the press had not covered the issue. Taking to Twitter Central Bedfordshire Council’s response was simply:
Mr Williams' death was tragic and the circumstances of his death will be investigated by the coroner KA
At this stage we are not able to discuss the circumstances of Mr Williams death. We will co-operate fully with the Coroner KA
Please take the time to write, email, phone or even tweet Central Bedfordshire District Council and tell them that this is an unacceptable way to treat people.
Telephone: 0300 300 8301
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Unspeakable cunts - the lot of them.
ReplyDeleteThere's an obvious motive for Central Bedfordshire District Council: they sussed out that they'd get their dirty paws on Mr. Williams' house. Just like any of the corporatised Town Halls the length of the land. Our privatised, unaccountable councils have perfected their thieving of the houses of the old and sick, looks like Central Bedfordshire District Council might be expanding their horizons.
Again, unspeakable cunts.
CUNTS
ReplyDeleteThey are all CUNTS!!
Between them the political classes and the elites have conspired to rid this country of as many of the population as possible. And they seem to be getting away with it!!
One person has died in police custody every week since 1964 and not one policeman has even been questioned never mind arrested.
The DWP are setting about the biggest culling of the disabled people in Britain as we write. The so called changes in benefits have lead to many disabled people committing suicide because of the appalling process they have to endure.
ATOS, the company involved in making disabled people well again, are a major sponsor of the paralympics.
Shall i go on......???
CUNTS THE LOT OF THEM
This is one of the most shameful stories I have ever read. I hope the electors put pressure on their councillors to reign in those that like to call themselves officers.
ReplyDeleteMany years ago, we stopped putting debtors in prison; it seems that this council's policies are worse than prison.
My City Council made unlawful demands of me re Council Tax. Once I had established that I would be unable to communicate with anyone with the authority to change their decision I welcomed their threat of going to Court.
ReplyDeleteAnd so we did, 5 times. Unrepresented I won and the Magistrate made clear her contempt both for the councils decision making process and their conduct of my particular set of Court cases even offering me costs which I respectfully declined.
Peter Williams might have been well advised to do likewise.
What ALL people have to wake-up to is that ALL tax is stealing. If you don't volunteer it then it's STEALING plain and simple.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't matter what someone or a group calls themselves. Government or Council it doesn't matter. If they force you to give them money then it's STEALING with FORCE. Some brain-dead moron is bound to say it's Democracy.
If I and my 10 mates vote to steal your money we can claim the power of "Democracy" because it's 11 to 1 and we had a fair vote. If you then don't give us your money we will beat the crap out of you just like any Government>
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ReplyDeleteOver the years there have been many instances of councils behaving attrociously towards people and also over the years I have encountered many examples of callousness. However, those involved in this case really take the biscuit! I am not impressed by their refusal to accept responsibility for Peter William's death either: far from it! If there were any justice, a commodity sadly lacking in this country, those on the council who pursued this case would be convicted for manslaughter and would now be serving a long prison sentence, as they caused Peter's death as surely as if they'd pointed a gun at his head and pulled the trigger. Scum!
ReplyDeleteIt never ceases to amaze me how fucking stupid, compliant and brainwashed the people are that make comments on the BBC news website.
ReplyDeleteI am sure that it is not just careful editing by whoever moderates the site, but the news story today about how the Government’s plans for exposing people that are engaged in a perfectly legitimate activity has drawn hundreds of comments which are not only directly in contrast of what is written here, but also in contrast to any common sense.
This is not the first time that such a thing has happened.
Where do they get those cunts from?
I have always thought it outrageous that non-payment of council tax could lead to theft (for that is what it is) of ones home. The council should be subject to the same rules as any other creditor, whioch include suspension fo interest in cases of genuine hardship and the obligation to accept any rerasonable proposal for repayment. If necessary the normal bankruptcy processes should be followed. Even HMRC does not have the draconian powers that were granted to councils - they are indeed the enemy of the people.
ReplyDelete