2nd June 2008

Dear Mr Masters,

Thank you for your reminder. My name will not be unknown to you as I used to work in your office until January this year. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my salutations to my former colleagues.

I must apologise for my continued difficulty to pay my Council Tax instalments on time. This is largely down to a cash flow difficulty, the factors of which are somewhat beyond my control and I have tried in vain to rectify them. After my contract with your office was terminated I spent a very short period seeking work with no income. Due to my undergraduate training hampering my national insurance contributions and my partner's modest earnings (most of which accounts for our already overpriced rent), I found I was entitled to no help whatsoever. In order for us to survive during this period I had to borrow against my already considerable debt forcing my long-term monthly payments even higher.

I am pleased to say that I quite quickly found temporary employment with a different agency. Whilst in your employ, I was working for the Brighton branch of Manpower and due to their constant assurances they would find me a more stable situation and more generous hourly rate, they failed to surrender my p45. This meant that my entire earnings for this period were subject to emergency tax, which greatly depleted my already slim incomings. Once again in order to supplement this income and continue paying bills, I had to borrow.

True to their word, Manpower eventually did find a more suitable position for me with a more realistic hourly rate and I am glad to say in the long term this will be a more stable and suitable situation. I had thought that my hardships were coming to an end. Unfortunately, the Brighton branch of Manpower were not handling my payments and thus I was still subject to emergency tax. The Branch of Manpower that I currently find myself working for have repeatedly failed to return my attempts to contact them and are showing no urgency in addressing my issues, therefore despite my efforts, my hardship continues unabated.

In summary, I have found myself in a dire financial situation. The factors for this include not being paid a full wage since January which in turn has exacerbated my ongoing debt issues, the recent unprecedented cost of living increases and not to mention the two recent bank holidays for which casual or temporary staff are neither paid nor given the option to work.

Before your reminder arrived I had resolved to clear my arrears with you in the coming fortnight which would already stretch me beyond the means of reasonable living expenses, however to ask me to pay £190 in less than one week, more than the net amount I am currently receiving per week, is not possible. Furthermore to ask me to pay the full years amount when I cannot keep up with monthly payments is beyond impossible for me at this time and the logic of which escapes me.

In closing I would like to add the emotional strain placed on my partner and I over the last few months. As you are aware, my partner recently lost her father, a tragedy, which has had repercussions for us both. My continuing financial difficulties have also done nothing to ease the diagnosed severe anxiety and clinical depression I have been suffering in the last few years.

I hope that you can find it within yourself to reconsider my situation and come to a satisfactory compromise without needing to resort to legal proceedings. I am fully compliant in paying off my arrears and in the face of my difficulties, would ask for the time to do so.

Yours Faithfully




Adrian Harper

The pisstake is this has been going on for six months, yesterday because I mentioned this situation and bullied a few people a bit (reluctantly) I got it sorted in about 20 minutes!!! (the p45 thing, not the summons thing)

Emma Harold gets me out of trouble once again, thanks Emma.