Forum Topic

Names on Council Tax Demand

A small question.Last week, my wife and her adult niece (who is living with us) were requested to confirm their address at our GP’s surgery.  So, they duly presented themselves at the surgery with their December bank statements only to be told that, contrary to U.K. government guidelines, a council tax demand and ONLY a council tax demand is deemed acceptable as confirmation of address. As a result of their “failure” to verify their address, they are threatened with being removed from the surgery’s patient list.This presents a bit of a problem as only I as owner am on the Council Tax demand. The staff at the surgery are absolutely adamant that the demand ishould be issued to all three adults in the household (myself, my wife and her niece). In theory, my wife could be added to the bill but I am not sure that it is the role of a GP’s surgery dictate to us what to do in this case. However, I can find no way to add a non-dependent adult to the council tax demand of an owner-occupied property if they rank lower on the council’s “hierarchy of liabilities”.Has anyone else come across this address verification issue and/or successfully added a non-dependent adult to their council tax bill in similar circumstances?

Keith Welham ● 390d23 Comments

True the ID card may not have an address but the agency who wants proof could check on a data base via the card for the address.

Nicholas Beard ● 389d

Yes Pete. It is indeed that particular practice. At least I am not alone. I will be in touch.

Keith Welham ● 389d

Excuse the typos phone/big thumb

pete bayes ● 390d

Being serious for a moment Robert,I was at the end of my tether just had an op and a letter from a consultant at west middx had in it that I was out of London for a while.The surgery took that as I had moved.I wont and had till 21st Jan to get my name on the council tax form,my psrtner has hers not me.Now in this country an up to date bank statement is a valid proof of address  but they said that can be forgerd!!!Arrrgghhh! I knew I was about to enter a nightmare with trying to sort this out with Ealing council and do it turned out hours on the phone hours on their website which did not work more hrs phoning their tech support to tell them the issue not mine theres etc etc finally because I plagued them via email phone calls to the office and physically walking in to their office they backed down,I was basically a naughty boy and dont do it again

pete bayes ● 390d

It looks as if we have the same GPs. I don't know if it's the practice manager. Some of the receptionists are great, some can be quite obstructive.

Robert Fish ● 390d

Dont worry yourself I shall be kicked off soon,it will go back to bei g the bland forum its become.Where is everybody?

pete bayes ● 390d

Cause its me ive only come on to help this fella

pete bayes ● 390d

Bayesian probability - might the real name be very slightly different? Textual analysis points to a probability near 1.

Robert Fish ● 390d

Hello Keith,they did it to me before Christmas its Chiswick Health Center who moved to w6 isnt it.It was a nightmare,its not receptionists I dealt with I got through to the office staff and the practice manager decision was final,I wont say anymore butthe pure stubboness seemed way over the top. I was given a month, and in that month I made them .....well lets end by saying they relented and I didnt have to show anything....so email me on petebayes23@gmail.com with your mobile and we can chat about it,cheers

pete bayes ● 390d

Absolutely, Will.It was for the reason you point out that I insisted that my wife retained paper copies of bank statements. These, of course, have been deemed inadmissible on my GP Surgery’ was against intelligence and common sense.

Keith Welham ● 390d

In Karen's link there is a scenario where a proof of address is required.The council tax bill is not a very sensible document to insist on as, you point out, it only has the account holders name - not a list of all the residents.I had a similar problem showing proof of address for Freedom Pass - they require one of:Current council tax bill/letter/payment book.Current council/housing association rent book/statement/letter.Current television licence.Residential utility bill (excluding mobile phone bills) dated in the last 3 months.HM Revenues and Customs letter dated in the last 3 months.Trouble is you don't have a paper copy of many of these anymore.They accepted a screen grab of my TV licence.When my wife comes to apply there will be no document that they will accept.

Will Watson ● 390d

Save that most ID cards do not bear an address

N V Brooks ● 390d

No matter what we use, you can’t account for stupidity.

Keith Welham ● 390d

Yes, I am beginning to think so. I am wondering about protocol, though. I think I have to raise an official complaint with practice and, when it exonerates itself, go through the route that you identify.Meanwhile, the clock runs down on my wife, our kids and her niece being chucked out of the practice for no reason at all!It seems that nobody else has had to endure this nonsense. In light of the Post Office scandal, it’s important to understand if you are alone or not unusual,

Keith Welham ● 390d

I used a gas bill. This is why we should have ID cards, saves a lot of trouble.

Nicholas Beard ● 390d

Looks as though you will have to resort to making a compliant https://www.nwlondonicb.nhs.uk/contact-us/patient-feedback-and-complaints

Bernard Allen ● 390d

Thanks both. The nuance here is that, as far as I can ascertain from the garbled ranting of the receptionists, this nonsense is indeed the product of a local management decision.I have made several attempts to connect with the practice manager (although receptionists refuse to divulge direct e-Mail or phone line so everything goes into the same inbox). I have marked e-mails for named attention but all attempt at communication yields only a Trappist-like response.

Keith Welham ● 390d

Ask to speak to the practice manager and bypass the receptionist or send an email as some practice managers only work part time

Bernard Allen ● 390d

Tell them that you will provide evidence as stipulated to the local Commissioning Group if they ate unable to exercise common sense.

N V Brooks ● 390d

No. We are paying the full rate. I just can’t see how the Surgery can argue this madness as I can find nothing from any council that supports what they are saying. The more I challenged them on it, the more strident they became in telling me I was completely wrong.

Keith Welham ● 390d

Are you claiming the single occupancy discount?

Paul Scullion ● 390d

Thanks Karen,That is indeed my view. It is even worse that they have popped up with this request out of nowhere.

Keith Welham ● 390d

Your GP reception is out of line. The rules are here: https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/gps/how-to-register-with-a-gp-surgery/We registered Ukrainian guests with no problem, apart from proof of their identity.

Karen Liebreich ● 390d