North Somerset Council (26 009 290)
Category : Benefits and tax > Council tax
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 15 Sep 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about notification of a Council tax premium because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.
The complaint
- Mr X complains that the Council did not notify him of its decision to impose a second home Council tax premium.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- We investigate complaints of injustice caused by ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. I have used the word fault to refer to these. We consider whether there was fault in the way an organisation made its decision. If there was no fault in how the organisation made its decision, we cannot question the outcome. (Local Government Act 1974, section 34(3), as amended)
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Mr X says that the Council failed to tell him immediately of its decision to apply a second home Council tax premium.
- The Council says that this decision was referred to in a guide publication issued to all Council tax payers and on its website.
- Our role is not to ask whether an organisation could have done things better, or whether we agree or disagree with what it did. Instead, we look at whether there was fault in how it made its decisions. If we decide there was no fault in how it did so, we cannot ask whether it should have made a particular decision or say it should have reached a different outcome.
- The Ombudsman is not an appeal body. This means we do not take a second look at a decision to decide if it was wrong. Instead, we look at the processes an organisation followed to make its decision. If we consider it followed those processes correctly, we cannot question whether the decision was right or wrong, regardless of whether you disagree with the decision the organisation made.
- I am satisfied that there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council in its publicising of the changes to Council tax.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman