London Borough of Ealing (23 018 228)
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Council tax billing as the matter has been remedied.
The complaint
- Mr X complains that, as executor of an estate, the Council has failed to provide explanations for Council tax bills.
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. We provide a free service but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start or continue with an investigation if we are satisfied with the actions an organisation has taken or proposes to take. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(7), as amended)
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Mr X says that, as executor of an estate, he received Council tax bills without any explanation as to their relevance.
- The Council says that a refund of Council tax was issued based on the date when the property was sold. However, a later date was confirmed which increased the bill by £35.
- This bill has now been paid. I am satisfied that the Council’s explanation for the bill is a remedy to the complaint and there are no grounds to investigate further.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman