London Borough of Lambeth (23 020 311)
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about Council Tax bills. We have upheld Mrs X’s complaint as the Council has now agreed to issue clear bills.
The complaint
- Mrs X says the Council’s Council Tax department has failed to properly bill her or explain the bills.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. In this statement, I have used the word fault to refer to these. We provide a free service but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start or continue with an investigation if we are satisfied with the actions a council has taken or proposes to take. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(7), as amended)
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by Mrs X and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Mrs X is the executor on Mr Y’s estate who died in January 2019. She has since then received conflicting Council Tax bills for Mr Y’s home. She says it was transferred to three people in May 2023. Mrs X has received bills saying she owes over £10 000, including Council Tax for the year 2023/24. She has three years of exemption notices so does not understand why the bill is so high. Mrs X complained to the Council and received confusing and unclear replies.
- If we were to investigate it is likely we would find fault causing the complainant injustice because the Council has failed to clearly bill Mrs X so she can see what the Council believes Mr Y’s estate owes. It also needs to clearly explain her appeal rights to the Valuation Tribunal.
Agreed action
- The Council has agreed to:
Send Mrs X a clearly set out bill showing the amount owed for each year and clearly setting out her appeal rights.
Final decision
- We have upheld this complaint because the Council has agreed to resolve the complaint early by providing a proportionate remedy for the injustice caused to Mrs X.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman