London Borough of Bromley (25 025 001)
Category : Benefits and tax > Council tax
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 06 Apr 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Council Tax billing because Mr Y can appeal to the Valuations Tribunal Service and it is reasonable to expect him to do so.
The complaint
- Mr Y complains that he was overcharged on his Council Tax bill. He says he was entitled to Single Person Discount over a seven-year period, and the Council did not apply this discount to his bill.
- Mr Y wants the Council to refund him for the money he says he has overpaid.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
- The law says we cannot normally investigate a complaint when someone has a right of appeal, reference or review to a tribunal about the same matter. However, we may decide to investigate if we consider it would be unreasonable to expect the person to use this right. (Local Government Act 1974, section 26(6)(a), as amended).
- The Valuation Tribunal deals with appeals against decisions on council tax liability and council tax support or reduction.
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by Mr Y and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Mr Y contacted the Council to dispute his Council Tax bill. He told the Council he believed he was entitled to Single Person Discount over a seven-year period.
- The Council asked Mr Y to provide evidence of this but says Mr Y did not send the required documents. The Council says that without the evidence, it is unable to assess Mr Y’s eligibility for a Single Person Discount.
- The Council has confirmed that once this information is received, it will be able to reassess Mr Y’s eligibility.
- If Mr Y wishes to challenge the Council’s decision regarding his eligibility for a Council Tax discount, he has the right to appeal to the Valuation Tribunal Service.
- As it is reasonable to expect Mr Y to use his right of appeal, we will not investigate this complaint.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mr Y’s complaint because he can appeal to the Valuations Tribunal Service and it is reasonable to expect him to do so.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman