‘I’m stranded in Cyprus because the DWP thought I was dead – now I’m being taken to court’
A woman left stranded in Cyprus without her pension is now being taken to court for not paying council tax.
Marie Collins, from Narborough, Norfolk, flew out to the island for a two week holiday in September. But after developing a severe chest infection, doctors told her she was not fit to fly home.
The 84-year-old has not received any pension payments since the beginning of November and has been told this was because the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) thought she had died.
Breckland District Council is also taking her to court because they say she owes £875 in council tax.
Marie says that this is incorrect and claims she is not eligible to pay council tax due to her age and disability.
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She was due to appear at Norwich Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, as she is still stranded in Cyprus with no money to get home.
‘If I am ineligible to pay, how come they (Breckland District Council) are demanding council tax from me?’ Marie said.
A spokesperson for the authority said that they were unable to comment on individual cases, adding ‘we can confirm that when we are notified that a resident’s circumstances have changed, it will trigger a reassessment of their council tax bill and their eligibility for support and discounts.
‘We have a responsibility to collect council tax from all our residents and to pursue any missed payments on behalf of the public purse.
‘However, we always take a collaborative approach with individuals and work with them to understand their individual situation.’
Marie, who is staying with friends, is still waiting for the DWP to clarify the situation with her pension payments .
After recovering from the chest infection, she had a fall and has since undergone physiotherapy, but still has limited use of her hand and ‘no pressure’ in her fingers, leaving her unable to write properly.
Doctors provided letters confirming she was not fit to fly, and both local and specialist medical evidence was sent to the DWP, she said.
The DWP has been repeatedly contacted by Marie, her niece, South West Norfolk MP Terry Jermy and the British Consulate in Cyprus, but her payments remain suspended.
Mr Jermy said he is trying to help Marie as a ‘matter of priority’.
‘My team and I are actively supporting Marie and have been pursuing every possible way of getting this situation resolved for her as a matter of priority,’ the MP said.
But Marie said: ‘They have still not given me a penny after five months. This keeps going around in circles. The DWP is just making excuses. They assumed I was dead.’
The continued battle has had an impact on Marie’s physical and mental health.
‘I don’t know how much longer I can live going on like this,’ she said.
Marie said she spent ‘weeks and weeks’ trying to contact the DWP’s offices by phone, often waiting on hold for hours before being cut off.
She asked her niece in Yorkshire to intervene on her behalf, but was told that the department could not speak to her niece without power of attorney.
Marie arranged the paperwork and sent it by recorded delivery in early January. Tracking confirmed it had arrived, but her niece was later told the department had no record of it and still could not discuss the case.
At one stage, Marie said she was unable to make international calls after running out of mobile credit, leaving WhatsApp as her only means of communication.
The DWP has been contacted for comment.