Runnymede Borough Council (21 002 072)
Category : Benefits and tax > Council tax support
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 30 Jun 2021
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: Mr X complains about his council tax bill. We will not investigate this complaint because there is no evidence of fault by the Council and he can dispute any award of council tax support to the Valuation Tribunal.
The complaint
- Mr X complains about his council tax bill.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- The law says we cannot normally investigate a complaint when someone can appeal to a tribunal. However, we may decide to investigate if we consider it would be unreasonable to expect the person to appeal. (Local Government Act 1974, section 26(6)(a), as amended)
- The Valuation Tribunal deals with appeals against decisions on council tax liability and council tax support or reduction.
- We investigate complaints of injustice caused by ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. I have used the word ‘fault’ to refer to these. We cannot question whether a council’s decision is right or wrong simply because the complainant disagrees with it. We must consider whether there was fault in the way the decision was reached. (Local Government Act 1974, section 34(3), as amended)
How I considered this complaint
- I have considered the comments of the complainant and the Council and the complainant has commented on the draft decision.
What I found
- Mr X previously received Universal Credit on the basis of his low income. However, he received a covid grant for the period April to June 2020 which meant that his entitlement to council tax support changed.
- Mr X says that the bills he has received do not reflect his payments or his entitlement to council tax support.
- Any dispute about entitlement to council tax support can be appealed to a Valuation Tribunal. The tribunal is an expert body and their decisions are binding on the Council. I see no reason why an appeal could not be made in this case.
- The Council provided a detailed chronology of payments and liability for council tax. There is no evidence that any payments made by Mr X have not been taken into account.
Final decision
- I do not intend to investigate this complaint because there is a right of appeal to a Valuation Tribunal and there is no evidence of fault by the Council.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman