Sheffield City Council (22 016 520)
Category : Benefits and tax > Council tax
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 27 Mar 2023
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Council tax liability as he appealed to a Valuation Tribunal.
The complaint
- Mr X says that Council erred when responding to his request for Council tax to be written off for a period.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- We cannot investigate a complaint if someone has appealed to a tribunal about the same matter. (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
- Mr X says that he asked the Council to stop his liability for Council tax bills while the covid lockdown prevented his return. He says that the Council sent him the incorrect forms in which to do this.
- The Council accept that a reply included the wrong form to fill in. However, Mr X appealed successfully to the Valuation Tribunal. The complaint is therefore out of jurisdiction. This includes any subsidiary element of the complaint, such as the complaint about the wrong information provided.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman