Birmingham City Council (24 004 631)
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about delays by the Council in responding to correspondence and providing a refund because the matter has been remedied.
The complaint
- Mr X complains that the Council failed to respond to letters and made delayed responses and a refund of Council tax.
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
- Mr X complains that he wrote several letters to the Council about his Council tax, and a refund that he sought. The Council says that they did not receive all of the letters but acknowledge that the replies were late due to overwhelming demand for Council tax services. The Council apologised. The Council also provided the refund sought in July 2024 (after saying the original letter was received in April 2024).
- Whilst I appreciate Mr X’s frustration, I am satisfied that the Council’s apology is a sufficient remedy to the complaint, the refund was provided and there are no grounds to pursue the matter further.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because the matter has been remedied.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman