Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about council tax support. The Council has agreed to write off the outstanding debt, that remedies any injustice caused.

The complaint

1. Miss X complained that between October 2021 and April 2022 the Council sent her nine council tax bills. She said when she contacted the Council about the bills, it gave her contradictory information about why her council tax had increased.
2. Miss X said the Council’s communication with her caused her distress. She wants the Council to write off her outstanding council tax balance.

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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 effect on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start an investigation if the tests set out in our Assessment Code are not met. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended)

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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. Miss X received council tax support, reducing the amount of council tax she paid. The Council sent her several revised bills from October 2021 onwards as her income had changed. Her council tax bills increased.
7. Miss X contacted the Council and questioned the amount of reduction applied to her account. She said she could not afford the amount owed. She also said the Council provided contradictory information about why her council tax bill had increased causing her confusion.
8. During our enquiries, the Council stated that although it believed it had applied the council tax reduction fairly to Miss X’s account, there were delays in how it had processed Miss X’s request for council tax support. It agreed to amend Miss X’s outstanding council tax balance to zero.
9. We will not investigate this complaint further, as I am satisfied the Council’s offer to write off Miss X’s outstanding council tax balance remedies any injustice caused. Therefore, further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.

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Final decision

10. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because the Council’s proposed actions remedies any injustice caused.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman