Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s handling of council tax after Mr X moved abroad. This is because there is not enough evidence of fault.

The complaint

1. Mr X complained the Council did not contact him using the details he provided when he moved abroad and instead sent bills and a summons to his last known address. He says this caused him stress and financial strain.

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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 there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating.

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

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How I considered this complaint

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

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My assessment

5. In July 2024, Mr X informed the Council he was moving abroad and would not be liable for council tax at the property from August. He provided his contact details but did not give a forwarding postal address, explaining he did not yet have one. He asked the Council for the final bill so he could settle it and for confirmation it had received his form.
6. A council officer replied to an email asking Mr X to fill in another online form. The officer explained the Council no longer had a general email service, but that Mr X could check his council tax account online. Mr X completed the form but did not receive confirmation that the Council had processed it.
7. The Council later sent bills and a summons to Mr X’s last known address. The law says councils must send council tax letters to the last known address. I have seen copies of bills and a summons, which were sent to the address Mr X says is his old address.
8. It is not fault for the Council to send correspondence to the address it had. Mr X says he did not receive the bill or the summons, but the Council explained it had to send these to his last known address because he had not provided a new one. Mr X could also have checked his council tax account online or contacted the Council for an update. We will not investigate this complaint, as there is not enough evidence of fault to justify continuing an investigation.

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Final decision

9. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because there is not enough evidence of fault.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman