Advice needed on allowances
Q. I am a single person, retired and getting my state retirement pension as well as Personal Independence Payment. I also receive a council tax reduction. I have received a payment for £130 from my local authority with a letter stating that it is a low income pandemic payment. I never applied for this and I am worried that I will have to pay it back. Would you be able to explain to me what it is?
A. If you were getting a council tax reduction during April 2021, you’ll get a payment of £130 from your council. This payment does not need to be paid back.
You should get it before November 30 2021.
You’ll also be eligible for the payment if you don’t pay council tax because:
■You’re staying in temporary accommodation, including a refuge ;
■Your home is unoccupied because you’re being cared for or are caring for someone else;
■ Everyone in the household are care leavers, are under 18 or are severely mentally impaired.
You might also get the payment if your claim for a council tax reduction is backdated to include a date in April.
If you are getting a council tax reduction or you don’t have to pay council tax for the reasons above, then you don’t need to apply for the low income pandemic payment. The council will pay you automatically.
Read the Scottish government guidance on the low income pandemic payment.
Q. I am wondering what could be available to my daughter for getting some funding while she attends Further Education College. My daughter’s course is full time and classed as further education and is therefore not covered by the Student Awards Agency Scotland.
A. Because of your daughter’s age she could be entitled to an Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA), but it is a means tested benefit and your household income will also determine if you are eligible for the EMA. Household income is the income of your parent(s) or carer(s) who live with you.
To qualify, households with one dependent child must be earning £24,421 per year or less, and households with more than one dependent child must be earning £26,884 or less, before tax.
Different colleges have different bursary schemes and your daughter could contact the college and ask to speak to someone from the funding or support team and that they could give advice on what, if anything, could be available for her. Because your daughter is Scottish, course tuition would be free.
Q. My Universal Credit has been suspended and this is down to my own omission that I have not been keeping my online journal up to date. I do acknowledge that I have received messages (via my online journal) and telephone calls stating that a universal credit adviser has been trying to get in touch with me and I have not replied. I am not well mentally, would I be able to
A. In the first instance we would have to find out why your universal credit has stopped, it may be down to something as simple as case managers reviewing cases and are looking for additional information such as a copy of your tenancy agreement.
Once we find out what they are looking for then we can address the issue. We totally understand that you may not feel up to speaking with the DWP advisers but unfortunately they require a security check and permission from you before we can get involved.
Your client commitment statement sets out a set of rules and regulations that you need to adhere to and these can be different for every client. If you fail to update the journal or not provide the required information the DWP can stop your payments until you contact them. You are required to keep all your contact details up to date.
It would be best to address this as soon as possible because if your universal credit stops then this can have an impact on rent payments and council tax reductions.
Q. I bought a used car from Arnold Clark recently. I took it for a test drive and then purchased it. There was a 60 day warranty on the car and the finance was arranged by the garage.
After taking a long drive the next day I found the seat very uncomfortable and I was in pain. I telephoned the garage to complain and ask for my money back.
The garage were very polite, however they said that I had test driven the car and I had not raised any issues with the seats at that time, and the garage had fixed other minor issues that I had pointed out at the time.
I do admit that I had asked my family and friends to try the car seat, and they all said they found nothing wrong with it. I was wondering where I stood on this situation.
A. You don’t have an automatic right to get your money back if you just change your mind about something you’ve bought and there’s nothing wrong with it.
It’s the same no matter how expensive the item was – it’s really down to the seller whether they offer you anything. There are certain steps you can take, depending on where you bought the item.
If you think that there’s a problem with the item, you might have different rights.
If there’s something wrong with your used car, you might have a legal right to a repair, the cost of a repair, or some or all of your money back. This includes if it’s damaged, doesn’t work, or doesn’t match the advert or description you were given. You won’t be entitled to anything if: ■ You were told about the fault when you bought the car – and someone fully explained what the problem meant ;
■ You inspected the car and should’ve spotted the problem, for example a dent; ■ You caused the fault;
■ The fault is normal for how much the car’s been used (known as ‘fair wear and tear’), for example if the brake pads need replacing after being used for a long time.
However the used car, that had been test driven, had no mechanical faults is not eligible for return.
You could check to see if the finance company could be eligible but they have the same criteria for a used car that is listed.
PLEASE NOTE: Rutherglen & Cambuslang Citizens Advice Bureau currently is open for telephone / e-mail advice on Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 3pm.