The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint the Council wrongly removed the single person discount from her council tax bill. That is because Council has set out how it intends to resolve the matter and Miss X is satisfied with the actions it proposes to take.
The complaint
Miss X complained the Council incorrectly removed her single person discount (SPD) from her council tax bill. She said it failed to respond to her appeal and instead threatened to take recovery action. Miss X wants the Council to review its decision to remove the SPD and apologise for failing to follow the correct process.
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
Since complaining to the Ombudsman, the Council has agreed to reinstate Miss X’s single person discount and issue amended bills. Miss X has confirmed she is happy with the Council’s response. We will not investigate this matter further, as we are satisfied with the steps the Council intends to take to resolve the matter.
Final decision
We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because the Council has agreed to resolve the matter to the complainant’s satisfaction.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman