Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (25 031 006)
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s handling of his council tax. This is because the Council has provided a proportionate remedy through its complaints procedure. Further investigation by us would not lead to a different outcome.
The complaint
- Mr X complains about the Council’s handling of his council tax. He says it wrongly applied an empty home premium to his council tax bill. He complained to the Council about this and is dissatisfied with its response.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. In this statement, I have used the word fault to refer to these. If we are satisfied with an organisation’s actions or proposed actions, we can complete our investigation and issue a decision statement. (Local Government Act 1974, section 30(1B) and 34H(i), as amended)
- We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We do not start or continue an investigation if we decide further investigation would not lead to a different outcome. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), section 34(B))
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by Mr X.
- I also considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- After Mr X complained to the Council, it amended its records to reflect that he lived at his property, removed additional charges applied to his account and took action to refund any amounts he overpaid. It also explained why it initially applied the charges to his account and apologised to Mr X for the distress he experienced.
- The Council took appropriate and proportionate action to address Mr X’s complaint and remedy the injustice he experienced. Further investigation by us would not lead to a different outcome than what the Council has already provided. Therefore, I will not investigate his complaint.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because it would not lead to different outcome than what the Council has already provided.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman