Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about her property’s council tax band. This is because we cannot investigate the actions of the Valuation Office Agency. The Council is not at fault for using the council tax band provided by the Valuation Office Agency.

The complaint

1. Miss X complains her property is in the wrong council tax band and she is having to wait to long for the band to be reviewed and changed.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
3. We investigate complaints about councils and certain other bodies. We cannot investigate the actions of central government departments, bodies and agencies such as the Valuation Office Agency. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 25 and 34(1), as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

4. I considered information provided by Miss X.
5. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

6. The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) decides the council tax band for a property.
7. The Valuation Office Agency is not part of the Council, and we cannot investigate complaints about the Valuation Office Agency’s actions. Miss X says ‘the Council’ has not decided her application yet. However, her correspondence was, correctly, with the VOA, not the Council. If Miss X is unhappy with the time the VOA takes to make the banding decision, she can raise this with the VOA.
8. The council cannot change a property’s council tax band and is not at fault for billing using the band provided by the VOA.
9. We will not investigate this complaint.

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Final decision

10. We cannot investigate the actions of the VOA. The council is not at fault for using the band provided by the VOA.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman