Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames (20 010 846)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Council tax support 24-Feb-2021

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about council tax arrears and council tax reduction. This is because part of the complaint is late and because the complainant could have used his appeal rights.

Watford Borough Council (20 010 248)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Council tax 24-Feb-2021

Summary: Ms X complains about the way the Council dealt with her council tax account. We will not investigate this complaint because this is a matter for the Valuation Tribunal.

Cornwall Council (20 010 400)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Other 23-Feb-2021

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint that the Council wrongly advised him about paying council tax for his holiday let. This is because there is not enough evidence of fault by the Council.

North Devon District Council (19 021 236)

Statement Upheld Housing benefit and council tax benefit 22-Feb-2021

Summary: Miss B complained the Council wrongly told her she would be able to claim housing benefit when she moved to North Devon. Miss B said she could not claim housing benefit when she moved, and this put her in financial difficulty. The Council was at fault for implementing the Amendment of the Universal Credit (Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2014 in June 2018 before the ruling came into effect in January 2019. The Council incorrectly told Miss B her benefits would be unaffected if she moved and wrongly paid her housing benefit. This caused injustice to Miss B. The Council agreed to make a financial payment to Miss B to acknowledge the impact of its fault.

Basildon Borough Council (20 010 502)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Council tax support 22-Feb-2021

Summary: Ms X complains that the Council revised her entitlement to council tax support and increased her council tax bill as a result. We will not investigate this complaint because this is a matter for the Valuation Tribunal.

City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council (20 010 561)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Council tax 22-Feb-2021

Summary: Ms X complains that the Council acted unreasonably in pursuing arrears of council tax. We will not investigate this complaint because there is no evidence of fault by the Council.

Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council (20 004 337)

Statement Upheld Housing benefit and council tax benefit 19-Feb-2021

Summary: Mr B complained about the Council’s handling of his claim for housing benefit and the recovery of overpayments. There was fault that caused injustice to Mr B. The Council will apologise and make a payment.

Burnley Borough Council (20 003 181)

Statement Not upheld Covid-19 18-Feb-2021

Summary: Mr X complained the Council refused to award a small business grant, which caused financial hardship. The Council was not at fault.

Manchester City Council (20 007 033)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Council tax support 17-Feb-2021

Summary: It is too late for us to investigate issues relating to the complainant’s council tax support which arose in 2018. The Information Commissioner’s Office is best placed to deal with Freedom of Information and data protection issues.

East Suffolk Council (19 020 957)

Statement Upheld Local welfare payments 17-Feb-2021

Summary: Ms T complained that there was fault in the way the Council dealt with her application for a discretionary housing payment. We found the Council was at fault in failing to consider Ms T’s request for financial assistance with fitting carpets in her new property. To remedy the injustice caused, the Council re-considered this request and agreed to reimburse Ms T for the cost of the carpets and pay her £250 in recognition of credit card charges she incurred by having to borrow money to pay for the carpets.