Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s handling of Mr X’s council tax account. This is because the injustice experienced is insufficient to warrant investigation.

The complaint

1. Mr X complained the Council mishandled his council tax account and this increased his monthly payments.

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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. (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. Mr X complained the Council wrongly included his council tax account in a billing migration and this caused a recalculation and higher monthly instalments.
6. The Council apologised and explained that Mr X made a manual payment following the migration which meant his monthly instalments were roughly the same and the overall remaining amount to pay did not change.
7. Mr X is unhappy with the Council’s actions and wants us to find it at fault. Whilst Mr X has been inconvenienced by the Council’s actions, he has received an apology, an explanation and has not been put to financial loss. Any remaining injustice he has suffered due to this matter is therefore not sufficient to warrant an investigation.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because the injustice experienced is insufficient to warrant investigation.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman