Clemency Jacques, who cares for her disabled son Alex and elderly mother, said she was given the choice of paying the charge or risking police arrest and a court appearance after running up a £2,600 carer's allowance overpayment.
Jacques who has described the offer of an administrative penalty as "like blackmail" - has now been told by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that the charge will not be applied, though she must continue to repay the original overpayment.
The former NHS psychologist, whose case was covered by the Guardian last month, is one of 134,500 unpaid carers repaying £251m in carer's allowance overpayments that in many cases accumulated because of DWP administrative failures.
Jacques, 43, of Brighton, said she was disappointed the terse DWP letter waiving the administrative penalty did not apologise for its treatment of her or explain why officials have reversed their original decision to threaten her with prosecution.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 13, 2024 من The Guardian.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 13, 2024 من The Guardian.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Bob Dylan Singer joins TikTok as US ban looms
Bob Dylan is TikToking on heaven's door after signing up to the social media app - days before it could disappear from his native US.
Trump's first speech will focus on unity and light rather than carnage, aides say
Donald Trump is to begin his return to office with a speech that will strike a noticeably more upbeat tone than his address eight years ago, his aides said yesterday as Washington geared up for Monday's inauguration.
Diagnosing obesity So how can we tell if our weight is a problem?
This week, doctors confirmed what many people have felt for a long time: the way we think about obesity is not helpful. BMI is unreliable, and this has to change.
'A lot can still go wrong' Wary reaction in Israel as some want the war to go on
News of a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas has been greeted with joy by Palestinians but with more caution in Israel, where demonstrators both in favour and against the agreement have taken to the streets.
Sands of time UK's oldest municipal hut faces its final summer
Admittedly, it does look a little shabby. A wooden slat next to the front door and a window pane are missing and a lick of paint would definitely not go amiss. But in Bournemouth there is disquiet at the prospect of the structure - beach hut number 2359 - being razed when structural work on the nearby pier begins.
Tuscany, on a budget? Italian region among cheapest holiday destinations
January is one of the best months to book a summer holiday, and this year there is a surprise budget option: Tuscany.
He's one of the best' The economist aiming to fix Britain's growth problem
The economist John Van Reenen lacks the public status of Gordon Brown's \"two Eds\" - Balls and Miliband - who ranged across Whitehall in New Labour's first term, enforcing the Treasury's will.
Suicides in custody of two young people 'were avoidable'
The deaths of two young people in custody could have been avoided, according to the long-awaited report from a joint inquiry into their suicides within months of each another.
An American Tragedy How Will History Judge the Biden Presidency?
To some Biden stands as one of the most consequential one-term presidents in US history - to others, he was undone by a fatal flaw is back straight, his voice steady, Joe Biden stood at the US Capitol just days after a violent insurrection and declared: \"Democracy has prevailed.\"
Food Aid Agreed Truck Surge 'Evidence Israel Was Curbing Supplies'
A provision to increase the aid entering Gaza under the ceasefire is welcome but insufficient, and shows Israel could have allowed more food, medicine and other supplies into the strip during the war, humanitarian and legal experts said.
