Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s handling of his council tax account. The complaint is late with no good reason to investigate now.

The complaint

1. Mr X complains about the Council’s handling of his council tax account and commencing court action against him to recover payment. The matters have caused Mr X frustration and inconvenience.

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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 no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))
3. The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
4. 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

5. I considered information provided by Mr X.
6. I also considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

7. Mr X first became aware of errors with his council tax account in January 2023. This makes his complaint late. I acknowledge that Mr X wrote to the Council at this time and did not receive a response. However, if he was dissatisfied the Council did not respond then he could have complained to us at that time. I have seen no good reason for the delay in complaining and therefore I will not investigate now.
8. The Council’s decision to take court action in May 2023 is also late with no good reason to investigate it now. In any event, the Council ceased court action and removed any additional charges from Mr X’s tax account in June 2024. As the Council has now corrected Mr X’s council tax account there is therefore no worthwhile outcome achievable by our further investigation.

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Final decision

9. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because it is late with no good reason to investigate it now and because there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman