Way back in 2006, my oldest child was 18. She became an adult, old enough to take her own decisions, apply for credit, and to vote. She was on the electoral register because I had followed the law and entered her name on a form sent to me while she was still 17.
We realised when some local pub sent her an invitation to go drinking there that either I had not filled the form in properly or the council hadn't read it properly. One disadvantage of not filling the form in is that you get junk mail. I hate junk mail.
As there were only two of us here and one of us did not count for council tax purposes, the law says that the council must take 25% off our bill.
Only one of us counted because she had only just left school and I was still getting child benefit for her. I knew all this because the law tells my council to explain it to me every time it sends me a demand notice.
Her coming of age and planned degree course did affect some of my entitlements. For example, I had told the child benefit people that she would be off to university in the Autumn so that it knew to stop paying me the money.
I knew because I read my council tax demand notice that I had no need to tell the council that she was 18 because I knew she was what they call disregarded and did not affect my discount. I knew that if I was not entitled to receive a 25% discount I had to tell the council as soon as I knew this was the case.
It was, therefore, something of a shock to be told by a woman working for the council that I was suspected of fraud in respect of the 25% discount I was receiving.
