Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about an error in the Council’s bill for Mr X’s father’s care fees. This is because the Council has accepted its error, provided an explanation and apologised under its own complaints procedure. We would not achieve more than this if we were to investigate.

The complaint

1. Mr X complained the Council sent an incorrect bill for his father’s care fees. Mr X says the first bill was for the wrong person, and then the Council sent a bill for an incorrect sum. He says the Council caused him avoidable stress and worry at a time when he was grieving for his father.
2. Mr X is seeking compensation from the Council.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

3. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We provide a free service but must use public money carefully. We do not start or continue an investigation if we decide:

• we could not add to any previous investigation by the organisation, or
• further investigation would not lead to a different outcome, or
• there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation.

(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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How I considered this complaint

4. I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
5. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

6. Mr X notified the Council his father had passed away in early 2025.
7. The Council sent a final bill for care fees. The bill was not for Mr X’s late father. He complained to the Council, and the Council issued a further bill.
8. The new bill was for a higher sum than Mr X expected, and he queried this with the Council.
9. Following communication back and forth between Mr X and the Council, the Council accepted there was an error. It explained the reason for the mistake and apologised.
10. The apology provided is an appropriate remedy in this matter.

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Final decision

11. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because the Council has already provided a suitable remedy.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman