Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council handled a council tax payment arrangement. This is because any fault has not caused significant personal injustice and an investigation would not add to the Council’s response or lead to a different outcome.

The complaint

1. Mr X complains the Council stopped his Council tax payment arrangement, that had been agreed as a reasonable adjustment, without telling him. He says the Council officer refused to see him when he went to the Council office to discuss it. Mr X says this caused stress and embarrassment. He wants the Council to improve its internal process for vulnerable people and pay a financial remedy.

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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
• further investigation would not lead to a different outcome, or
• we could not add to any previous investigation by the organization. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

3. 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 the complainant and the Council.
5. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

6. Mr X said he had a reasonable adjustment agreed by a manager at the Council in relation to his Council tax payments. The reasonable adjustment was a payment arrangement that allowed Mr X to make his payments on a different day of the month. This started in August 2025.
7. Mr X did not pay his Council tax on the agreed date in October. A different Council officer stopped the payment arrangement without consulting the officer who had agreed the arrangement. The Council agreed the officer should not have stopped the arrangement without consulting the officer who had originally agreed it.
8. The Council said it discussed the matter with the officer. It said it would learn from this incident and improve its processes for vulnerable residents. It also apologised to Mr X. I am satisfied the Council properly dealt with this part of the complaint and further investigation by the Ombudsman would not add to its response or lead to a different outcome.
9. When Mr X realised the Council had stopped his payment arrangement, he went to the Council office to speak to the officer. Mr X said the officer refused to see him. I understand Mr X felt embarrassed because he thought the officer would come to discuss the problem.
10. The Council told Mr X it had received his complaint about the matter and it was being investigated. It would therefore not be appropriate to discuss it with him while it investigated the matter. The Council said Mr X could have booked an appointment to speak to the officer that agreed to the payment arrangement, which Mr X did not do. The Ombudsman is unlikely to find fault with the Council’s decision not to discuss the complaint in person.
11. I understand Mr X felt anxious and confused when he realised the Council stopped his payment arrangement. However, when Mr X complained, the Council contacted him the next day and said the payment arrangement would be reinstated when Mr X paid that month’s instalment. The Council acted quickly to reduce the emotional impact on Mr X. It said it would reinstate the usual payment arrangement when Mr X paid the instalment. Therefore Mr X has not suffered a significant personal injustice.
12. I understand Mr X believes the Council did not comply with the Equality Act 2010. We cannot decide if an organisation has breached the Equality Act as this can only be done by the courts. But we can make decisions about whether or not an organisation has properly taken account of an individual’s rights in its treatment of them. The Council have added a flag to Mr X’s Council tax account to make staff aware of Mr X’s vulnerabilities and reasonable adjustments. It also agreed to reinstate the payment arrangement. We are unlikely to find fault in how the Council considered Mr X’s rights.

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Final decision

13. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because any fault has not caused significant personal injustice and further investigation would not add to the Council’s response or lead to a different outcome.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman