Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s delayed issuing of a council tax bill and efficiency of its computer system. The Council removed the outstanding council tax balance, and we cannot change the Council’s computer system therefore there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation.

The complaint

1. Mr X complained that in 2025 he received a council tax bill about a short period in November 2021. Mr X also complained about the Council’s computer system which he says caused the late serving of the council tax bill. Mr X said this caused him distress. Mr X is seeking recovery costs associated with the bill to be waived, the Council to fix its computer system and financial redress.

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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 no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation. (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 the complainant and the Council.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. Mr X is a landlord. In February 2025, the Council issued him a council tax bill for a period in November 2021. It had previously sent those bills to a different address. The account was already subject to recovery action and incurred costs at this point. However, the Council wrote off the bill as ‘uneconomic to recover’.
6. Mr X stated that a new council tax account was created whenever his property became vacant and that it was not automatically linked to his account unless he manually did it. The Council explained that whenever there was a vacant period between tenants, the council tax liability reverted to Mr X as the landlord. The Council issued the bills to the last known forwarding address for Mr X, and it was his responsibility to manually link the account online.
7. We will not investigate this complaint. The Council has removed the council tax balance so there is no further liability for this period to Mr X. Also, the Council has explained its computer system and how it works We cannot change the Councils computer system. Therefore, there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman