Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a Council tax refund because there is insufficient injustice to warrant investigation.

The complaint

1. Ms X complains that the Council has failed to pay her a refund of £90.

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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, or
• any fault has not caused injustice to the person who complained, or
• any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement.

(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 the complainant.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. Ms X says that she asked the Council to refund overpaid Council tax of £90 in July 2025. She says that the Council has not yet responded to her request.
6. We do not start or continue an investigation if we decide the impact of the fault a person complains about is not so significant that we should investigate.
7. We will normally only investigate a complaint where the complainant has suffered serious loss, harm or distress as a direct result of faults or failures by an organisation. In addition, we will not normally investigate a complaint where the complainant is using their enquiry as a way of raising a wider community campaign about something of general concern but where they have not suffered injustice.
8. I am not satisfied that the delay in the refund of the Council tax is sufficient in this case to warrant investigation.

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Final decision

9. We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint because there is insufficient injustice to warrant investigation.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman