Liverpool City Council (24 004 539)
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a Liability Order because the matter has been remedied.
The complaint
- Mr X was sent a wrongly sent a Liability Order by the Council.
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 an organisation 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 the complainant and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- The Council sent Mr X a Liability Order in his name but for a property with which he has no association. The Council apologised for this and cancelled the Liability Order.
- I am satisfied that the cancellation and apology are sufficient to remedy the complaint and there are no grounds to investigate this matter further.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because the complaint has been remedied.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman