Melton Borough Council (25 021 292)
Category : Benefits and tax > Council tax support
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 23 Apr 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Council Tax billing because the complaint is late and there is no good reason to exercise discretion to investigate it now.
The complaint
- Mrs Y complained about charges recorded on her Council Tax bill in 2017. She said she is upset about the amount she paid. She said she wants to know whether she has been overcharged.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
- 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/care provider has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended).
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by Mrs Y and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Mrs Y complained to the Council in 2025 about charges recorded on her Council Tax bill in 2017. The bill related to recalculations of her discount entitlement between 2009 and 2016.
- The Council explained it could not consider her complaint. This is because its policy says that complaints should be submitted not more than 12 months from the incident which has led to complaint.
- The Council provided Mrs Y with a breakdown of her historic Council Tax bill, explaining the dates, charges and recalculations on this.
- We will not investigate this complaint. We expect a person to complain to us within 12 months of being aware of a matter and Mrs X did not complaint to us until 2025. This complaint is late, and I see no good reason to use discretion to investigate it now.
- The more time passes between the events and a complaint, the more unlikely it is we can investigate them effectively, gather reliable evidence and reach a sound decision. In older cases we also may not be able to achieve a meaningful remedy because too many circumstances have changed. We are often unable to be able to show why events occurred or understand who was responsible.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman