Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the way the Council responded about council tax issues. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault causing injustice.

The complaint

1. The complainant, Mrs X, complains about the way the Council responded to her council tax questions and complaints. She says the complaints remained unresolved and the process was stressful.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We do not start an investigation if we decide:

• there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating, or
• any fault has not caused injustice to the person who complained, or
• any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement.

(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered information provided by Mrs X and the Council. This includes the complaint correspondence and information about whether Mrs X incurred any costs. I also considered our Assessment Code.

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My assessment

4. Mrs X contacted the Council to ask a question about her council tax. The Council provided a quick response and responded promptly to subsequent queries. The Council explained what had happened with the direct debit and why the payment date was changed; it also sent a revised bill.
5. Mrs X sent more emails seeking further clarification. She then complained that the officer was not replying to her emails and would not let her speak to another officer.
6. The Council responded to the complaint. It apologised for the frustration and confusion Mrs X experienced; it said the Council could have provided a clearer explanation as to why the council tax payments had to be altered after Mrs X changed her bank account. The Council gave Mrs X the contact details for a council tax manager in case she had any other council tax issues.
7. Mrs X was dissatisfied with the response and wanted the complaints team, rather than the council tax team, to respond to her complaint. The Council said it had provided a satisfactory response and had nothing further to add.
8. I will not start an investigation because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council causing injustice. The Council responded to Mrs X’s questions but acknowledged it could have provided a fuller response which may have prevented the need for Mrs X to ask additional questions. The Council also provided a direct point of contact for any additional questions.
9. Mrs X is dissatisfied with the way the Council responded but I have not seen anything to suggest we need to start an investigation. The Council answered the council tax queries and apologised for not providing a more detailed explanation. Mrs X wanted a more detailed response to her complaint, but the response was proportionate to the issues raised. In addition, the Council’s policy says a manager from the service area complained of will respond and that is what happened.
10. I appreciate Mrs X says the incident was stressful but this does not represent a level of injustice which requires an investigation. In addition, while Mrs X may feel she has unanswered questions, her council tax account for that property is closed and she did not incur any costs or face court action.

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Final decision

11. We will not investigate this complaint because there is insufficient evidence of fault causing injustice.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman