Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about poor customer service and inaccurate council tax bills. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.

The complaint

1. The complainant, whom I refer to as Ms X, complains of poor customer service, unanswered emails and inaccurate council tax bills. She wants the Council to reduce her council tax due to the incompetence it has shown since 2020.

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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 we decide there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6))

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered information provided by Ms X and the Council. This includes the complaint correspondence and some of the bills, reminders and summons the Council has sent to Ms X by post. I also considered our Assessment Code and comments Ms X made in reply to a draft of this decision.

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My assessment

4. If someone does not pay their council tax councils can serve a reminder, summons and then obtain a liability order from the court. Councils can instruct bailiffs after the court has issued a liability order.
5. The Council sent all the council tax bills and associated documents to Ms X by post using the correct address. Ms X says she did not receive many of these letters. Ms X has council tax arrears for 2019/2020, 2020/21, 2021/2022 and for the current year. The accounts are with bailiffs apart from the current year; a liability hearing is due in September for the current year. The complaint replies state that each year since 2019 Ms X has either made no payments or intermittent payments that do not cover the full bill. The Council asked Ms X to make a payment plan with the bailiffs and to make a plan with the Council for the current year.
6. Ms X made a payment plan with the Council in August 2021 and paid £200. She then broke the plan and cancelled the direct debit.
7. In January 2021 Ms X reported problems accessing her on-line account. The Council replied in February explaining the council tax documents are sent by post and it gave instructions on how to access the account. Ms X accessed the account in September and in March 2022 used it to view a summons.
8. Ms X says the bills are inaccurate but she has not provided any specific information about why they are wrong. I have considered the bills and there is nothing that looks inaccurate. The total debt owed by Ms X has increased because she has incurred court costs and bailiff fees.
9. Ms X complains of poor customer service but I see no evidence of this. Ms X has made limited contact with the Council since she started to accrue arrears in 2019.
10. Ms X had difficulty accessing her on-line account. But, the bills are sent by post and even if they were not all received, as Ms X states, it is reasonable to expect Ms X would have been aware of the need to make regular council tax payments and she could have chased the Council if she had not received a bill. In addition, no council tax letters were returned to the Council and it is not responsible for problems with the post. There is nothing to suggest we need to start an investigation.
11. Ms X has referred to poor customer service in relation to waste hazards. However, this has nothing to do with her council tax. If Ms X has had difficulties with the waste and recycling service she would need to make a separate complaint.

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Final decision

12. We will not investigate this complaint because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman