Council tax This fact sheet is aimed chiefly at anyone who is experiencing problems with their council tax account and may be considering making a complaint to the Ombudsman. I have a problem with my council tax. Can the Ombudsman help me? Sometimes, yes. But there are some matters the law does not allow us to look at: We cannot deal with a complaint about something that affects nearly everyone l ...

Council tax support claims This fact sheet is aimed mainly at people who have problems with a claim for council tax support and may be considering making a complaint to the Ombudsman. What is council tax support? From 1 April 2013 council tax support replaced council tax benefit as a way of reducing a council tax bill for those on a low income. All claims since then have been council tax support ...

New guidance launched for council tax practitioners The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has launched a new guide to help council benefits practitioners manage complex council tax reduction (CTR) enquiries and complaints. Every year, the Ombudsman receives around 100 complaints and enquiries about the way local authorities manage CTR – sometimes called council tax support. It is a reduc ...

Bankruptcy This fact sheet is aimed primarily at council tax payers who have been threatened with bankruptcy proceedings to recover council tax arrears. The council has been threatening me with bankruptcy proceedings. Can the Ombudsman help? In some cases, yes. We can deal with some aspects of the council’s approach to recovering debts. Often the debt is arrears of council tax. (See also our fact ...

Calderdale woman 'made ill' by council’s tax blunders A Calderdale woman, who has autism, claims the way Calderdale council mishandled her council tax relief made her ill, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman was told. The woman and her partner were students when they claimed council tax relief from Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council. This should have meant they did not have to pay ...

Billing confusion prompts Barnet bailiff action A catalogue of clerical confusion and billing errors led to a Barnet resident being unfairly threatened with court action for not paying her council tax, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found. The woman told London Borough of Barnet her daughter had moved out of the home they shared, and requested the council apply the single pers ...

Cotswold council criticised for poor tax relief response Cotswold District Council has been heavily criticised by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman for the way it handled a man’s request for help paying his council tax during the COVID-19 pandemic. The man requested help with his council tax payments, in part because of the impact of the pandemic on his finances. However, despite kee ...

Benefits and tax

Guidance on remedies Contents: Chapter index for Guidance on remedies Updated: 17 March 2025 Guidance on remedies search Search this content Submit search Part 4 • Subject specific guidance - Benefits and taxation Introduction Councils can take recovery action for money owed for business rates, council tax, parking penalties, and other charges. Such recovery action should take account of the pers ...

Browse Decisions Browse and search our decisions As an open and accountable ombudsman service we are committed to having transparent decision making processes. We publish as many of our decisions as we can. Real names are not used. In certain cases where it is not in the complainant's interest or anonymity may be compromised, we can decide not to publish a decision. We publish decisions six weeks ...