Coventry City Council (23 006 676)
Category : Benefits and tax > Council tax
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 05 Sep 2023
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a failure to provide information as this is a matter for the Information Commissioner’s Office.
The complaint
- Mr X says that the Council has failed to provide specific information about a Council tax debt and the Council’s relationship with the bailiffs enforcing that debt.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- The Information Commissioner's Office considers complaints about freedom of information. Its decision notices may be appealed to the First Tier Tribunal (Information Rights). So where we receive complaints about freedom of information, we normally consider it reasonable to expect the person to refer the matter to the Information Commissioner.
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 is in dispute with the Council about Council tax and the Council’s enforcement of the debt through bailiffs. He asked the Council for the name of the person who authorised the contract with the bailiff.
- The Council provided a response and advised him to appeal to the Information Commissioner’s Office if he remained dissatisfied.
- The Ombudsman considers that any dispute about evidence provided by a Council is a matter of the Information Commissioner’s Office. The Ombudsman would not therefore investigate this complaint.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman