London Borough of Hackney (25 010 701)
Category : Benefits and tax > Council tax support
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 27 Nov 2025
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Miss X’s claim for a council tax reduction. This is because the complaint is late and there are no good reasons for this.
The complaint
- Miss X says the Council failed to assess her claim for council tax reduction from February 2023. She says she was undergoing medical treatment and believed the Council was assessing her claim. She only realised it had not paid a council tax reduction when the Council started council tax enforcement action in May 2025. This has caused her distress and anxiety.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended).
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council. I also considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Miss X made a claim for a council tax reduction in February 2023. The Council asked her for further information to support her claim in November 2023. Miss X says she provided this.
- In July 2025 Miss X’s representative complained the Council had not assessed her council tax reduction claim. Miss X had only realised this when she received a council tax enforcement notice from the Council’s agent. She said Miss X had been undergoing medical treatment, but believed the Council had been assessing her claim.
- The Council said it would not investigate the complaint because it was well beyond its 12 month time limit for a complaint. It said it had no record Miss X had contacted it to chase her claim or complain.
- We will not investigate this complaint because it is late and there are no good reasons for this. Miss X was aware by November 2023 at the latest that the Council had not assessed her claim. However, she did not complain to the Ombudsman until August 2025. I note Miss X was undergoing medical treatment but her situation was not such that she could not raise a complaint or seek support from a representative to raise a complaint on her behalf.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because it is late and there are no good reasons for this.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman