Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s handling of Mr X’s business rates account. This is because the complaint is made late and there are not good reasons to investigate now.

The complaint

1. Mr X complains the Council wrongly billed him for business rates and failed to notify the Valuation Office Agency prior to April 2023 that his property was uninhabitable. Mr X says this has caused him financial strain.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
3. We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

4. I considered information provided by the complainant.
5. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

6. Mr X has known about the issue he complains about since April 2023 at the latest. Mr X complained to us in February 2025 and so has not made his complaint within one year of him knowing about the problem. It is reasonable to expect Mr X to have complained to us sooner and within one year of the problem arising. As such, I do not consider there are good reasons for us to investigate now, and we will not do so.

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Final decision

7. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because it is made late and there are not good reasons to investigate now.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman