The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate Mr B’s complaint about the Council requiring him to pay full council tax for services he does not benefit from. This is because there is not enough evidence of fault to justify an investigation.
The complaint
Mr B complains he pays full council tax even though he must also pay a private company to maintain the estate where he lives. Mr B says these services would normally be done by the Council, so he has to pay for the same services twice. Mr B would like the Council to deduct from his council tax bill the money he pays this company each year.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
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. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))
How I considered this complaint
I considered information provided by Mr B.
I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
The amount of council tax a person pays is based on the valuation band of their home. Certain discounts and exemptions are available and these are mainly based on the condition of the property and the people living at the property.
Council tax is not based on the number of council services a person benefits from. So, the Council was not at fault for telling Mr B it cannot reduce his council tax for this reason.
Final decision
We will not investigate Mr B’s complaint because there is not enough evidence of fault to justify an investigation.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman