Brighton & Hove City Council (20 009 283)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Council tax 01-Feb-2021

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about entitlement to the council tax single person discount. This is because the complainant could have appealed to the Valuation Tribunal.

St Albans City Council (19 019 465)

Statement Upheld Other 29-Jan-2021

Summary: Miss X complained the Council should not be pursuing her for business rates debts that relate to her company. We found the liability for business rates was outside our jurisdiction. We found no fault in another area of Miss X’s complaint. The Council did delay its response to Miss X’s complaint but its apology was a reasonable remedy for this.

London Borough of Waltham Forest (20 002 454)

Statement Upheld Housing benefit and council tax benefit 28-Jan-2021

Summary: The Council was at fault for the way it calculated Mr X’s housing benefit, resulting in it pursuing him for arrears. The Council has amended Mr X’s rent account and applied the appropriate credits. The Council has also agreed to a financial payment to reflect the distress and uncertainty Mr X experienced.

London Borough of Waltham Forest (20 008 858)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Other 28-Jan-2021

Summary: We cannot investigate Mr X’s complaint about costs he incurred after the Council pursued him for business rates. This has been dealt with in court and so we have no legal remit to consider this matter.

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames (20 009 887)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Council tax 28-Jan-2021

Summary: We cannot investigate Mr E’s complaint about interest on his council tax refund. The Valuation Office, not the Council, is the body responsible for the decision which affected Mr E, and it is not a body we can investigate.

Birmingham City Council (20 008 390)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Housing benefit and council tax benefit 28-Jan-2021

Summary: The Ombudsman cannot investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s decision to suspend council tax benefit and housing benefit for a period while Mr X was out of the country. Mr X has appealed to the tribunal and so the complaint is outside the Ombudsman’s jurisdiction.

Durham County Council (20 009 071)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Housing benefit and council tax benefit 28-Jan-2021

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a Discretionary Housing Payment. This is because the Council has awarded a payment to the complainant.

London Borough of Croydon (20 009 200)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Council tax 28-Jan-2021

Summary: We will not investigate Mr B’s complaint about the way the Council dealt with his council tax accounts. This is because it is unlikely we would find fault by the Council and recommend removal of the compliance and enforcement fees.

Bristol City Council (20 003 011)

Statement Upheld Covid-19 27-Jan-2021

Summary: Mrs C complains the Council misled her and her husband into thinking their business would receive funding from the Small Business Grant Fund designed to support businesses impacted by COVID-19. We uphold the complaint finding the couple received poor customer service and advice when applying for such support. This caused raised expectations and put them to unnecessary time and trouble. The Council accepts these findings and at the end of this statement we explain what action it has agreed to remedy this injustice.

Hartlepool Borough Council (20 004 182)

Statement Not upheld Council tax support 27-Jan-2021

Summary: Mr X complained the Council failed to properly advise him when he called it in May 2019 to discuss his entitlement to Council tax reduction. He also complained the Council failed to keep a record of his call. I have discontinued my investigation. This is because there is no evidence supporting Mr X’s statements and no evidence of fault on the part of the Council.