'Ruthless' Council Pursue Dying Man for £35.00 Bill, a call was put through to hospital as patient lay in coma! Options

[Lolly]

Couple of things here. (Just add to the mix)

The Council and landlords were dealing with the next of kin, that's all they can deal with. They didn't so much refuse Howgate as ignore him.

Everyone from here always gets taken to Swindon hospital.

Sorry Squelchy but do you actually know this, or is it just your opinion? West Berkshire Council and Sovereign (the landlords?) are separate organisations and presumably wouldn't discuss a tenant's/resident's personal affairs with another resident. And how do you know they both ignored Ian Howgate rather than refusing to deal with him? Have you seen the emails he claims to have?

Also where is 'here'? Are you still living in the buildings that Ian Howgate says are due to be demolished, and if so aren't you worried about the alleged flaking asbestos?

[Gazzadp]

Couple of things here. (Just add to the mix)

Everyone from here always gets taken to Swindon hospital.

Mike, wasn't taken to Swindon he was taken to North Hants. This is incredibly unusual.

I think people will find that with the NHS being what it is nowadays, people from Newbury can and are taken to a variety of different hospitals. It depends on the illness, immediate condition of the patient and also how busy the other hospitals are at that point in time.

Certainly when I was I was unwell some years ago, I was taken by ambulance to RBH Reading. I am pretty sure that the NHS has never operated such a system where people from place "a" are taken to a specific hospital.

Apart from my above query and hence this reply, I do have to say that I find it most interesting that IH has no seen reason to respond to this thread for a while. I accept that some have the impression that he has been the victim of a qoute "character assination" but then this being a public forum and the interwebby, this kind of thread is par for the course.

Who is right and who is wrong, well I am not sure either! I could hazzard a guess but it does strike me as the guy seems to have an uncanny knack of rubbing people up the wrong way. Sadly that does him and more importantly the people he professes to "help & stand up for!" But hey that is just my opinion ain't it!

[Gazzadp]

I totally believe that WBC would pursue anyone through any means for 5p if they could, having dealt with the department there numerous times, I struggle to imagine a worse set of human beings.

Now that I do agree with, 100%!

People only need to recall the glorious poll tax! and how councils hounded and persectuted people for that.

Would any local authority chase a sick or dying person for money "believed" to be owed?

Yes, there are many such cases documented!

Would our beloved and sacred WBC stoop to such levels?

YES, of course they would. MONEY IS MONEY!

The fact is as Andy Capp has rightly pointed out this whole fiasco has been badly managed by that so called council spokesperson... On the day this matter was reported the same councils spokesperson also failed to answer peoples councerns about empty residential units at Park Way!

What he knows about PR, can obviously be written on the back of postage stamp and bleeding minature stamp at that!

All the spokesperson needed to say is "we are investigating" and perhaps a general "if the call was made we apologise".... As it is the council spokesperson is a waste of Newbury's money!

[Exhausted]

Would any local authority chase a sick or dying person for money "believed" to be owed?

Yes, there are many such cases documented!

Would our beloved and sacred WBC stoop to such levels?

YES, of course they would. MONEY IS MONEY!

If and I say if, WBC wanted to determine if a person who owed money was in hospital, they are not stooping to a low level, what they are doing, is ensuring as best they can that they are supporting those persons that do pay their dues.
It might be a bit different if they asked the dying person to come to the phone to answer their questions but this, as far as I can tell, did not happen.


The council are duty bound to recover money and to take steps that ensure that if money is owed it is collected and that persons who are grant aided are not milking the system. It does happen.

I pay my taxes and I'm sure most of us do. I seriously object to having to finance those that don't for whatever reason.

[Andy Capp]

If and I say if, WBC wanted to determine if a person who owed money was in hospital, they are not stooping to a low level, what they are doing, is ensuring as best they can that they are supporting those persons that do pay their dues.
It might be a bit different if they asked the dying person to come to the phone to answer their questions but this, as far as I can tell, did not happen.


The council are duty bound to recover money and to take steps that ensure that if money is owed it is collected and that persons who are grant aided are not milking the system. It does happen.

I pay my taxes and I'm sure most of us do. I seriously object to having to finance those that don't for whatever reason.

I doubt the council did phone the hospital, however, the hospital is I presume, land ike WBC, under no obligation to accept the call or advise who is in the hospital as a matter of confidentiality too.

[Simon Kirby]

If and I say if, WBC wanted to determine if a person who owed money was in hospital, they are not stooping to a low level, what they are doing, is ensuring as best they can that they are supporting those persons that do pay their dues.
It might be a bit different if they asked the dying person to come to the phone to answer their questions but this, as far as I can tell, did not happen.


The council are duty bound to recover money and to take steps that ensure that if money is owed it is collected and that persons who are grant aided are not milking the system. It does happen.

I pay my taxes and I'm sure most of us do. I seriously object to having to finance those that don't for whatever reason.

I feel exactly the same. I can see circumstances in which it would be reasonable for the Council to make potentially indelicate enquiries which would be perfectly reasonable and prudent.

[Andy Capp]

I pay my taxes and I'm sure most of us do. I seriously object to having to finance those that don't for whatever reason.

So do I pay my taxes, but I don't seriously object having to finance those that don't for whatever reason.

[Cognosco]

I feel exactly the same. I can see circumstances in which it would be reasonable for the Council to make potentially indelicate enquiries which would be perfectly reasonable and prudent.

What like WBC opening graves to ensure the deceased who owed some council tax had really died?

[Exhausted]

So do I pay my taxes, but I don't seriously object having to finance those that don't for whatever reason.

I don't if the recipient has a genuine case for whatever concession they are given But I object strongly to scroungers who abuse the system.

What like WBC opening graves to ensure the deceased who owed some council tax had really died?

A rather inane post but just to go along with the theme, WBC or anybody else wouldn't need to, they can view thedeath certificate.

[Andy Capp]

I don't if the recipient has a genuine case for whatever concession they are given But I object strongly to scroungers who abuse the system.

I knew what you meant, but I was just being pedantic!

[newres]

I pay my taxes and I'm sure most of us do. I seriously object to having to finance those that don't for whatever reason.

Really? Personally, I am perfectly happy to subsidise those less fortunate. Hopefully no misfortune will never knock at your door or those of your loved ones.

[Andy Capp]

Really? Personally, I am perfectly happy to subsidise those less fortunate. Hopefully no misfortune will never knock at your door or those of your loved ones.

I know what you mean and I agree, but I think Exhausted didn't mean it that way. One way I look at it, is that I am paying a fee to keep people unemployed and to help stop them taking my job!

[blackdog]

Everyone from here always gets taken to Swindon hospital.
...
Mike, wasn't taken to Swindon he was taken to North Hants. This is incredibly unusual.

I can't say as I know a huge number of people who have been taken to hospital - but those I do know were all taken to Reading or Basingstoke, apart from one who went to Oxford - I don't know anyone who was taken to Swindon.

It isn't incredibly unusual to go to Basingstoke, it's commonplace.

[Andy Capp]

I can't say as I know a huge number of people who have been taken to hospital - but those I do know were all taken to Reading or Basingstoke, apart from one who went to Oxford - I don't know anyone who was taken to Swindon.

It isn't incredibly unusual to go to Basingstoke, it's commonplace.

Basingstoke has a heliport, Reading, and I think Swindon, don't.

[newres]

Basingstoke has a heliport, Reading, and I think Swindon, don't.

It depends what is wrong with you. The heart excellence centre for Newbury is Royal Berks. If you are having a heart attack, that is where you go.

[Simon Kirby]

Really? Personally, I am perfectly happy to subsidise those less fortunate. Hopefully no misfortune will never knock at your door or those of your loved ones.

Exhausted was not complaining about being taxed to support those less fortunate than himself, he was complaining about those who evaded their tax liability. If you're not earning very much then you don't pay very much tax and if you're living in a relatively small home then you don't pay much council tax either, and that seems perfectly fair, but I do expect everyone to pay the tax they owe, and this was Exhausted's perfectly valid point.

[dannyboy]

Basingstoke has a heliport, Reading, and I think Swindon, don't.

Swindon certainly does have a spot for the chopper to land.

[On the edge]

Swindon certainly does have a spot for the chopper to land.

If it doesn't there are plenty of sites round about that could be usefully levelled...

[Andy Capp]

Swindon certainly does have a spot for the chopper to land.

That wasn't the case a few years ago when I know someone who was airlifted to Basingstoke despite being much closer to Swindon.

[dannyboy]

That wasn't the case a few years ago when I know someone who was airlifted to Basingstoke despite being much closer to Swindon.

Trust me - you can ride the chopper all the way to Swindon & the nice newish hopsital.