London Borough of Tower Hamlets (25 006 123)
Category : Benefits and tax > Council tax
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 19 Aug 2025
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate Mr Y’s complaint about Council costs incurred recovering a Council Tax debt. It is unlikely we would find fault.
The complaint
- Mr Y says the Council should not have charged Council Tax enforcement costs against him.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- 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:
- there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating; or
- we could not add to any previous investigation by the organization. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by Mr Y and the Council’s replies to him.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Mr Y says he was living at Property Z between September 2023 and September 2024. He says he was a student between September 2023 and May 2024. The Council issued him with Council Tax bills for the period he was in occupation for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 Council Tax years. The Council says it issued reminders. It says Mr Y did not reply. And did not pay the Council Tax. Mr Y accepts this.
- The Council issued Court Summons and obtained liability orders for both tax years. In September 2024, Mr Y applied for student exemption. The Council granted that application and applied it to the relevant period. It had also incurred costs. Mr Y has paid those costs and believes they should be refunded. He says he did not understand the system.
- The Council has waived £110 of costs as a gesture of goodwill. It has considered the remainder but says it is its policy to recover costs incurred.
Analysis
- Mr Y had the opportunity to contact the Council and did not do so even when he received a Court summons. We are unlikely to find fault in the Council’s decision not to waive the costs it incurred.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mr Y’s complaint because we are unlikely to find fault in its decision not to waive costs incurred in pursuing a Council Tax debt.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman