Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council asking the complainant to pay council tax which he says he does not owe. This is because the Council has written off the debt and the complainant no longer owes any council tax.

The complaint

1. The complainant, whom I refer to as Mr X, complains the Council refunded some council tax after he left a property but then demanded he pay back £124. Mr X says he does not owe any council tax to the Council and he paid what was due for the time he lived at the property.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. The Ombudsman investigates complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We do not start an investigation if the issue has been resolved. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6))

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered information provided by Mr X and a letter the Council sent to Mr X saying he no longer needed to pay the £124.
4. I considered our Assessment Code and invited Mr X to comment on a draft of this decision.

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My assessment

5. The Council made a council tax refund to Mr X but then asked him to repay £124 because it decided he remained liable for the council tax after he had left the property. Mr X disputed this and complained.
6. The Council subsequently wrote to Mr X to say it had written off the £124 because it had made errors in the handling of his account. The Council apologised for any inconvenience.
7. I will not start an investigation because the Council has written off the council tax and apologised. It has assured Mr X that the matter is closed.

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Final decision

8. I will not start an investigation because the problem has been resolved.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman