Student loans/council tax

[Sado]

My daughter's boyfriend is at Uni, in his 3rd year. For the past 2 years, he has received the full loans, but this year, they have only given him �500, as they say he is on a paid placement, (which he is not). Due to this, not only is he out of pocket, but he is required to pay council tax, which as a student he is exempt from. Letters have been sent to his student house over the summer whilst he has been back home, and on his return, he has found that he has to go to the magistrates court for non-payment of council tax. He has been to the student union, but as yet, we have not heard anything positive.
Any advice please.

[buildersmate]

Something must have changed about his course, surely, for the Student Loans company to make this assumption. Quite apart from the NUS, he ought to go the University Administration office, since I believe the Student Loans company get their info about course attendees from there. The original assertion about the change in circumstances must have come from there, I reckon. Unis aren't in the game of trying to make life harder than it is for students.

BTW, the stakes on this are high if he lives in a shared student let. The house becomes assessed for the whole Council Tax sum, less the 25% for one assessed person (non-student) living in the house. Trying the get the other students to cought up their proportion is a blood from stone job - since they will probably feel that it is he that occurred the CT liability.

[Sado]

thanks for the swift response buildersmate but nothing has changed about his course,somehow the wrong information has been passed on from either the uni or the student loans company. he realises that nonpayment of council tax is a serious offence and can result in a custodial sentence how can he get evidence to present to the court that a mistake has been made.

[buildersmate]

I believe that local authorities do access info from the Student Loans Company as the primary means of establishing who is not a student anymore. They are hot on it because of the high rate of drop-out, as the desire for revenue collection if Council Tax exemption no longer applies.
The issue is finding out how the Student Loan Company got duff info in the first place. I'm not sure I am help with this further - sorry.

[Sado]

Buildersmate, just to let you know, Tom has had confirmation from the Uni and the student loan company that a **** up has taken place, and the court has accepted this, so panic over. Still not a good thing to come back from summer to. Thanks for your input.