Blackburn with Darwen Council (25 014 595)
Category : Benefits and tax > Council tax
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 04 Feb 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s management of Mr X’s council tax account. This is because an investigation would be unlikely to provide a different outcome.
The complaint
- Mr X complained the Council debited two council tax payments on one occasion and debited his payment a month early on another.
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:
- we could not add to any previous investigation by the organisation, or
- further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.
(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by Mr X and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Mr X complained the Council collected two payments for his council tax and told him it would provide a refund. It later told him this was incorrect, and he would not be receiving a refund.
- On a separate occasion, the Council removed a monthly payment a month earlier than it said it would.
- The Council explained the issues had occurred due to Mr X briefly occupying two properties at once and changing his bank details. The Council apologised for the misinformation and offered Mr X a refund, but he declined this.
- Mr X wants us to find the Council at fault. The evidence shows the Council has explained the actions it took on Mr X’s account and apologised for the inconvenience he experienced. Mr X has not been put to significant injustice or financial loss due to this. An investigation would be unlikely to result in a different outcome.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because an investigation would be unlikely to result in a different outcome.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman