Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Mr X’s Council Tax account. This is because there is not enough evidence of fault by the Council.

The complaint

1. Mr X complains about the Council’s handling of council tax account. He says the Council gave him incorrect advice, failed to send an amended bill and did not tell him it had passed his case to enforcement agents (bailiffs) to enforce payment.
2. Mr X says he did not know his account was in arrears and complains the Council did not pause enforcement on his account when he complained. He says this led to additional financial loss because of enforcement fees. He wants an apology from the Council and a refund of extra enforcement fees paid.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

3. When considering complaints we make findings based on the balance of probabilities. This means that we look at the available relevant evidence and decide what was more likely to have happened.

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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 contacted the Council in March 2025 when it removed the single person discount from his account. The Council considered the information Mr X provided, reapplied the discount and issued an updated bill. Mr X did not make any payments so his account fell into arrears.
7. Mr X said that he received no correspondence from the Council about the arrears on his account. He says the first letter he received about the matter was notification that his account had been passed to bailiffs.
8. The evidence I have seen shows the Council sent a Reminder notice, Summons, notice of Liability Order and notification of Pre-Enforcement to Mr X’s address prior to the letter Mr X received from the bailiffs.
9. The Council then placed a 28 day hold on enforcement action following contact from Mr X. Mr X settled the outstanding balance during the hold on enforcement action.
10. On the balance of probabilities and having considered the evidence provided, it appears the Council issued the correct correspondence about Mr X’s council tax account to the correct address and in a timely manner. I cannot therefore say the issues Mr X experienced, or the injustice he claims, was the result of any fault by the Council or that the Council must provide a remedy for Mr X.

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Final decision

11. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman