At UEL we currently issue council tax exemption certificates
annually (upon request), based on the term dates (i.e. ending in
June). In the past we have issued certificates for the length of the
course but this proved problematical where students withdrew,
intermitted or changed mode of attendance for a period of time in
order to retrieve failure before continuing on a full-time basis (and
the LEAs tended to lose them or request them each year). It is
thought that similar problems would arise if we issued annual
certificates which lasted until September of each year.
We have recently had letters from a couple of LEAs stating that
students will no longer be exempted during the summer vacation
and will be charged for this period (on the basis that they are not
students during this time and it is the LEA's prerogative to charge -
one has said that they have found a loophole and intend to exploit
it). What line do other institutions take with council tax certs and
has anyone else had experience of LEAs taking the above
approach?
Mary Hunt
Acting Head, Division of Student Information
Department of Student Administration
University of East London
(Email:[log in to unmask])
(Direct line: 0208 223 6257)
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