Advice needed over parking dispute

Q. I have received a parking fine (which happened in England) from a debt collection for parking on private land.

I had sold the car in question to my cousin three years ago, my cousin must have been in England and this has resulted in the fine coming to me. My cousin was also prosecuted for a driving offence and spent some time in jail. I have relayed this information to the debt company. I however, did not notify the DVLA of selling the car or transferring ownership over to my cousin and I now understand that I should have done this as this is what the debt company stated to me. I am wondering if I can dispute this.

A. Unfortunately you will have no recourse to dispute this. If a driver involved in a traffic accident refuses to give their details at the scene of the accident, the police can obtain this information in other ways. If they have noted the registration number of the vehicle and the accident has been reported, the police are able to trace the owner (not necessarily the driver) of the vehicle and their insurance company. However, the police can refuse to pass on this information.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) can give the name and address of the person registered as the keeper of the vehicle to anyone who has a good reason for needing it, provided that the circumstances relate to a vehicle or its use on the road.

Q. I am seeking some advice before I obtain the keys to my new council rented accommodation at the end of November 2021.

I will be residing in this property with my daughter. My full rent costs are not covered by my local housing allowance within Universal Credit. I would like to know if there was any extra help that I could receive in regards to helping me with my rent, I would also like to query my entitlement to a council tax reduction.

A. Your local authority can make a discretionary payment to those who need further financial assistance to meet their housing costs. The eligibility is that you must be entitled to housing benefit, or Universal Credit that includes a housing costs element towards rental liability and as you are about to be in receipt of this, you would qualify.

You can apply for this via your local authority it is called a Discretionary Housing Payment and it is normally an online form. You must also be aware that the award amount of a Discretionary Housing Payment and the length of time that it is awarded is up to the local authority. A local authority may decide on short term payments or indefinite payments until you, the claimant’s circumstances change.

With regards to your Council Tax it is advised that if only one adult lives in the property, a single person discount will apply your council tax. The discount for this would be 25 per cent if one adult is counted as living in the property. This is called a single person’s discount. If you are on eligible benefits then you be entitled to a council tax reduction because you are on a low income. Because your daughter is under 18, she will not be considered for the council tax calculation. You can apply for this via your local council.

Q. I am in receipt of the benefit Employment and Support Allowance as well as Personal Independence Payment.

I am looking to seek advice with regards to the £20 uplift payment that claimants on Universal Credit were awarded during the Covid-19 pandemic. I would like to know why I did not receive this extra payment onto my benefits and I to know how I can appeal this as I have heard on the news about an ongoing court case relating to this query.

A. Unfortunately due to the nature of your enquiry, we would only be able to advise that this extra £20 payment to Universal Credit claimants was only paid to those in receipt of Universal Credit and if you wished to raise this issue then you would have to seek legal advice from a solicitor due to the complexity and legality of the matter. We can confirm that there is at present a legal challenge being made regarding this situation and eventually a decision will be made on the legalities.

Q. I had a non-payment of wages which was not my fault and I was in severe financial difficulty until I could get it sorted out. I applied for a crisis grant from the Scottish Welfare Fund via my local council. The application was successful and I am due to get a payment paid into my bank account in the next day or so. In between applying for the crisis grant and getting the payment I have been able to sort out my wage dispute and therefore no longer require help from the crisis fund. I am wondering how I give it back.

A. You would be advised to phone the Scottish Welfare Fund department within the local authority council that you made the application with and speak to an adviser regarding your situation with the crisis grant. They may want you to pay it back because your circumstances have changed and you now no longer require itthey will give you details on how to do this.

Q. I have received a letter relating to my daughter’s trust fund. I am unclear as to what this letter actually means. However, I believe that it is about managing the trust fund. My daughter turns 18 years old in November this year and I am wondering if this has any relation to the letter. This trust fund was provided to the me by HMRC, giving me a £500 voucher to be invested and can be added to and only accessed by my daughter in relation to the account. I believe that the account now holds £550.

A. This trust fund was a long-term tax-free savings account for children born between September 1 2002 and January 2 2011. The Child Trust Fund scheme closed in 2011. The money in the account belongs to the child and they can only take it out when they’re 18. However, they can take control of the account when they’re 16. There’s no tax to pay on the Child Trust Fund income or any profit it makes. It will not affect any benefits or tax credits that your daughter may receive.

Once your child turns 16, they can either take over the account by contacting the Child Trust Fund provider or leave the parent/guardian in charge of the account. However, when your child turns 18, they take over the account and can take out the money.

PLEASE NOTE: Rutherglen & Cambuslang Citizens Advice Bureau is open for telephone / e-mail advice on Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 3pm.