London Borough of Bromley (25 028 757)
Category : Benefits and tax > Council tax
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 18 Aug 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision to take enforcement action. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.
The complaint
- Mr X complains about the Council’s decision to take enforcement action against him. He says the Council has failed to acknowledge the reason he stopped making payment to his council tax was due to his disability. Mr X says this has caused him significant anxiety. He wants the Council to acknowledge it has made a mistake and provide compensation.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- 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 (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- The Council considered Mr X’s request to suspend enforcement action but declined because the debt was nearly two years old and previous payment arrangements had not been maintained. It advised Mr X to tell the enforcement agents about his vulnerability.
- Mr X escalated his complaint. The Council added a vulnerability marker to Mr X’s account and said the enforcement agent’s welfare team had reviewed it. It decided not to suspend recovery action and advised Mr X to arrange a payment plan.
- The Council was entitled to take recovery action for unpaid council tax and there is insufficient evidence of fault. While it should take account of vulnerability, any delay in adding a vulnerability marker was short and did not cause significant injustice requiring investigation.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because there is insufficient evidence of fault.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman