Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s management of his council tax account and discrimination he is unhappy about. This is because any injustice experienced is insufficient to warrant an investigation.

The complaint

1. Mr X said the Council has incorrectly removed a student exemption he was entitled to and held him liable for council tax during a period he was not at the property in question. He also complained the Council discriminated against him.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. 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:

• any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement, or
• we could not add to any previous investigation by the organisation, or
• there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation.

(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

3. We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)

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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 after receiving a revised council tax bill for a period he disputed liability for. He also referenced historic discrimination on the Council’s part.
7. The Council told Mr X it sent the bill based on information Mr X provided. The Council later withdrew the balance and ceased collections activity.
8. Mr X remains unhappy with the Council’s actions and wants us to find the Council at fault. The Council has explained why it issued the revised bill and it has now cancelled the disputed balance. Any injustice Mr X experienced because of this is insufficient to warrant an investigation.
9. Mr X has complained about historic discrimination on the Council’s part. The Ombudsman will not usually exercise discretion to investigate complaints that relate to events that took place more than 12 months before the complainant became aware of them unless there are good reasons to do so. The behaviour Mr X is referring to took place in 2013. It would have been reasonable for Mr X to bring this aspect of the complaint to us sooner. In addition, there is no evidence of discrimination in the Council’s recent communication with Mr X.

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Final decision

10. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because an investigation would be unlikely to result in a worthwhile outcome.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman