Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint about the amount of council tax the complainant has to pay. There is no evidence of fault by the Council.

The complaint

1. The complainant, who I refer to here as Mr B, has complained the Council charges him for services he does not receive. He lives on an unadopted road which the Council does not sweep or maintain.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. In this statement, I have used the word ‘fault’ to refer to these.
3. We provide a free service but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start an investigation if, for example, it is unlikely we would find fault. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

4. I have considered what Mr B said in his complaint. Mr B commented on a draft before I made this decision.

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What I found

5. The Council has to collect council tax based on the banding of a property set by the Valuation Office and the amount each relevant body sets in its annual budget. There is no provision in legislation for charging more or less depending on the services a council tax payer actually uses. For example, people without school age children do not pay less because they do not use schools in an area.

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Final decision

6. I have decided we will not investigate this complaint because there is nothing to suggest fault by the Council.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman