Back in 2011, Carl Whitely lived in a flat in Langworthy owned by Salford Student Homes. There was lots wrong with the property but the worst was a leaking tap that rotted the floorboards, which was reported to his landlord several times. Then one day, just before Christmas, Carl injured his ankle after his foot went through one of the decaying boards...
"I decided that I wasn't going to live there or I would end up dying or something" he recalls "I paid the Council Tax right up to when I moved out."
In April 2013, Carl won his case against the landlord, which had failed to keep the flat maintained and had thus broken the tenancy agreement. He got compensation for the landlord's negligence but Salford Student Homes refused to pay the Council Tax for the five months left of the year when Carl wasn't living in the flat.
However, rather than going after the landlord for the debt, Salford Council has hounded Carl for three years, knowing that he isn't responsible for the bill.
"Six months after I moved out the Council started chasing me for Council Tax, which was around £700 but I was on minimum wage so I was struggling to pay the Tax in the property I was at" he explains "Every year I've replied saying `I don't owe this because I wasn't living there'. It would stop and then start up again. But this year it's been the bailiffs knocking at my door.
"The bill is now up to around £1,000 and they wanted me to pay £200 a week – I don't even get that spare a month!" he adds "Now they've said they're going to come in and take my stuff. The Council is, apparently, investigating again but they're not keeping the bailiffs away. To me it looks like they've already made their mind up..."
Carl has tried to contact the Council's own Welfare Rights and Debt Advice department for help but, due to cuts, he hasn't been able to get through or found it closed. Neither can he afford a solicitor to sort it out... "They want £50 for an initial meeting and £600 for a letter; I might as well pay the bill" he says "In any case I don't have the money to do this.
"It seems that because I have no money I am an easy target" he decides "The Council knows that it's wrong, they have two letters saying I don't owe this money. It's just ridiculous. It's wrong but who can you turn to?"
In the meantime, Carl, who feels he's being bullied by the Council, is refusing to deal with the bailiffs, hoping that the case ends up in court... "I would love for a judge to see all of this..." he says.
* Salford Star contacted Salford Council about this case over a month ago but it has still not responded.
Photo by Steven Speed
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