Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s failure to send Mr X correct council tax bills. This is because the Council has acknowledged the fault, corrected the account and provided Mr X with an apology. Further investigation would be unlikely to result in a different outcome.

The complaint

1. Mr X complained the Council sent him incorrect council tax bills informing him there was no outstanding balance on the account before revising this and sending him a bill containing the wrong address.
2. Mr X said he has been put to avoidable time and trouble due to the Council’s actions.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

3. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We do not start or continue an investigation if we decide further investigation would not lead to a different outcome. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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How I considered this complaint

4. I considered information provided by Mr X and the Council.
5. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

6. Mr X complained that after he provided the Council with details of the tenant occupying his property, it sent him a council tax bill showing no outstanding balance then sent him a revised bill for the same period.
7. The Council acknowledged it did not update the account with the information Mr X provided. It also acknowledged it included wrong address details on one of the bills. The Council apologised and explained it had updated the account. Mr X brought the complaint to us because he remained unhappy with the Council’s actions.
8. The Council’s actions to address Mr X’s complaints are in line with what we would expect it to do. An investigation would therefore be unlikely to lead to a different outcome.

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Final decision

9. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because further investigation would be unlikely to result in a different outcome.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman