A FAMILY who were facing a £3,000 debt after a tax credit blunder are celebrating a U-turn.
The Examiner told last month how Liz and Grant Brooke, of Kirkheaton, informed family tax credit officers on five separate occasions they were being overpaid.
But they refused to listen and told Liz, 43, to use the money for a holiday.
After a year of saving the cash in case they had to repay it, the family splashed out - only to be told months later that the Government wanted it back.
Now, after a further 12 months of worry about paying the bill, they have received a letter admitting an error had been made.
"It is such a massive weight of my mind," said Liz, a mother-of-three. "I have been worried about whether we would have to pay this money back for so long now."
Liz and Grant applied for family tax credit in 2002. At the time Grant, 44, was working full-time and Liz, part-time, so they were shocked when they heard they would receive almost £600 every month to help raise their sons, now 24, 21 and 18.
"I knew when I started getting the money I was being paid too much," said Liz. "I told them and told them but they would not listen. After a while I felt like I almost had to spend it.
"When we did spend the money and went on holiday I felt so guilty because at the back of my mind all the time was the fact that I was sure we should not have got that much."
The letter admitted there had been a mistake and also said any costs the family had incurred would be met.
"We spoke to Citizens' Advice and Huddersfield MP Barry Sheerman and they have helped us a lot," said Liz. "It would have taken a very long time for us to pay the money back so we are really pleased."
