Bassetlaw District Council (23 002 833)
Category : Benefits and tax > Council tax support
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 12 Jun 2023
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Council tax reduction as he could appeal to a Valuation Tribunal.
The complaint
- Mr X says that the Council wrongly stopped his entitlement to Council tax Reduction in 2022.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- The law says we cannot normally investigate a complaint when someone can appeal to a tribunal about the same matter. 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.
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- The Council stopped Mr X’s entitlement to Council tax reduction in 2022 because the Council believed he had savings of over £16,000. Mr X disputes this.
- Any decision to award, cancel, or recover Council tax reduction 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.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman