Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council sending Miss X a reminder letter for outstanding council tax. This is because any injustice she experienced was remedied during the Council’s complaints process.

The complaint

1. Miss X complained the Council sent her a reminder letter for her late relative’s council tax account.

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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.

(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 Miss X and the Council.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. Miss X complained she received a reminder letter for an outstanding balance on her late relative’s council tax account after previously experiencing the same issue.
6. The Council explained it did not receive a form sent to Miss X confirming the relative did not have an estate and this was why it sent the letter. The Council apologised, agreed to waive the outstanding balance, and closed the account. The Council said it would make changes to its process to make sure letters were issued correctly and review wording used in its reminder letters.
7. Miss X remains unhappy with the Council’s actions. The Council has provided an apology, a reasonable explanation for what happened and waived the balance on the account. The Council has taken additional steps to ensure this does not happen again. This is what we would expect the Council to do. The Ombudsman will not investigate complaints where the Council has already taken the appropriate steps to put things right.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because any injustice she experienced was remedied during the Council’s complaints process.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman