Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s delay in registering his property for council tax. This is because the Council has already apologised for the delay and offered a suitable remedy for the injustice caused.

The complaint

1. Mr X complains the Council delayed registering his property for council tax and making a referral to the Valuation Office Agency (VOA). He complains his council tax liability may be backdated to January 2025 and said this is unfair because the delay is the Council’s fault.
2. Mr X would like the Council to ensure that the £100 it awarded to him is paid into his bank account. He would also like the Council to transfer the credit from his old council tax to his new account. Mr X wants the Council to award him further compensation to reflect the inconvenience caused by its delay.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

3. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. In this statement, I have used the word fault to refer to these. We provide a free service but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start or continue with an investigation if we are satisfied with the actions an organisation has taken or proposes to take. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(7), as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

4. I considered information provided by Mr X and the Council.
5. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

6. Mr X says he moved into his property in January 2025. He says he sent all the relevant information to the Council to register for council tax. Mr X says it took the Council eight months to inspect his property and make a referral to the VOA.
7. The Council upheld Mr X’s complaint and apologised for the delay. It also awarded him £100 as a remedy. The Council proposed to pay Mr X’s this into Mr X’s council tax account. Mr X can ask the Council to pay it into his bank account instead. The Council advised Mr X to email its Revenues Service to give them consent to transfer the credit from his old council tax account.
8. We will not investigate this complaint because the Council has already apologised for the delay in organising an inspection and making a referral to the VOA. It also awarded him compensation as part of his complaint. I consider this to be satisfactory remedy.
9. The Council also advised Mr X that the VOA will decide the date from which liability will start. Mr X will have a right of appeal against any decision by the VOA to the Valuation Tribunal.

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Final decision

10. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because we are satisfied with the Council’s actions and a further investigation by us would not achieve anything further.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman