Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint about the way the Council processed the complainant’s council tax support. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.

The complaint

1. The complainant, whom I refer to as Mr X, complains about the way the Council handled his council tax support. He complains that the Council asked him to provide supporting evidence.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. In this statement, I have used the word ‘fault’ to refer to these. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint. I refer to this as ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start an investigation if we believe it is unlikely we would find fault. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

3. I read the complaint and the Council’s responses. I asked the Council for the latest information about Mr X’s council tax support claim. I considered comments Mr X made in reply to a draft of this decision.

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What I found

What happened

4. The Council suspended Mr X’s council tax support because it needed more evidence about Mr X’s financial circumstances. Mr X has not had any income since 2017 and the Council needed to check his savings and any income he was receiving from any source. On one occasion the Council suspended Mr X’s council tax payments to give him time to provide the information for the council tax support claim.
5. The Council has now lifted the suspension and reinstated the claim from March. It has issued Mr X with two council tax bills showing he has nothing to pay.
6. Mr X complains about having to provide information to support his claim.

Assessment

7. I will not start an investigation because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.
8. The Council must make sure that it correctly assesses a claim for council tax support and, to do that, it needs information from the claimant to show income and savings. The Council suspended the claim because Mr X had not provided the information it had asked for. Once Mr X provided the information that was needed, the Council reinstated the claim and Mr X now has a nil council tax bill. There is no suggestion of fault and no reason to start an investigation.

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Final decision

9. I will not start an investigation because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman