Anita’s Story

Citizens Advice in North & West Kent Anita's Story

Anita is a middle-aged woman, with one child under 10 years of age, who is diabetic and has learning disabilities.

She contacted the Kent Advice Hub (KAH), via the freephone number, as she had bailiffs on her doorstep and wanted to know what her rights were. Bailiffs had been called as Anita had not appeared in court to settle nearly £950 worth of TV license arrears that she supposedly had. The Adviser spoke to the bailiffs and successfully negotiated that they would not come back until two weeks’ time in an effort to resolve this, to which they agreed.

Due to Anita’s health condition, the Adviser also recommended that she apply for PIP to help her financially. She mentioned that had been receiving it in the past and when it came to renewing it had submitted an application herself but had been rejected. Anita was referred to her local Citizens Advice (Ashford) to receive support with her PIP application.

In the meantime, she received a benefit statement that outlined that she had been paying for the TV license through her benefits and actively contacted DWP herself who revoked the TV license arrears.

Anita was grateful for the advice and support the Adviser provided, particularly when the Adviser spoke with the bailiffs. She was very relieved and felt as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders knowing that she wouldn’t be harassed by bailiffs and that she was given time to resolve this situation. After the situation had been resolved, Anita personally called up the service again to thank the Adviser for their support.

All stories have been given different names and certain details have been omitted or changed to preserve their anonymity.