Oxford City Council (21 007 116)

Statement Upheld Housing benefit and council tax benefit 15-Feb-2022

Summary: Mr X complains on behalf of Mr Y that the Council delayed passing his housing benefit appeal to the tribunal after it upheld its earlier decision to recover an overpayment. The Council is at fault. There was delay submitting the appeal to the tribunal. This did not cause Mr Y a significant injustice, but may be causing injustice to others. The Council has agreed to review its procedures.

Manchester City Council (21 015 454)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Other 15-Feb-2022

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s decision to hold him liable for business rates as the issue is more appropriate for the courts. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint that the Council misrepresented its reasons for holding him liable as there is no evidence of fault.

London Borough of Barnet (21 015 569)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Council tax 15-Feb-2022

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about council tax discount. This is because it is reasonable to expect Mr Y to appeal to the Valuation Tribunal.

Dover District Council (21 013 889)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Council tax 15-Feb-2022

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about council tax arrears because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.

Wakefield City Council (21 014 880)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Council tax 15-Feb-2022

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision to apply for an Attachment of Earnings order to recover a council tax debt, and about how the complainant was spoken to about the matter. This is because there is no evidence of fault, and we cannot add to the previous investigation carried out by the Council.

Liverpool City Council (20 010 430)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Covid-19 14-Feb-2022

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council not making Mr X the named business ratepayer for a property and therefore not paying him some COVID-19-related business grants. This is mainly because the evidence suggests the Council properly reached its decision on the main point at issue.

Northumberland County Council (21 006 283)

Statement Not upheld Covid-19 14-Feb-2022

Summary: There was no fault in how the Council decided the level of grant funding to provide personal care businesses, under its discretionary restart grant scheme. It was for the Council to devise the scheme and it has applied it properly. The complainant also says she was given misleading information by the Council, but we have ended our investigation of this point, because it would be disproportionate to continue it.

London Borough of Croydon (21 015 127)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Council tax 14-Feb-2022

Summary: Ms X complains about the Council’s refusal to take a Council tax debt back from the bailiffs. We will not investigate this complaint because there is no evidence of fault by the Council.

Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council (21 015 142)

Statement Upheld Council tax 14-Feb-2022

Summary: Mr X complains about the way the Council dealt with his Council tax liability. We will not investigate this complaint because the Council has remedied the matter.

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (21 014 320)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Housing benefit and council tax benefit 14-Feb-2022

Summary: Mr X complains about the way the Council has dealt with an overpayment of housing benefit. The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint because there is a right of appeal to a tribunal.