The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about council tax support and single person’s discount. There is insufficient evidence of fault which would warrant an investigation.
The complaint
Miss X complained about the Council’s calculation of her single person discount and council tax support on her council tax account.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
The Ombudsman investigates 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 or may decide not to continue with an investigation if we decide: there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating, or we could not add to any previous investigation by the organisation, or further investigation would not lead to a different outcome (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6))
How I considered this complaint
I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
Miss X says the Council told her it would backdate her single person discount in 2021 because she has been the sole adult occupant of her home since 2019. She says the Council failed to do this. She also says she has not received council tax support since 2021.
The Council told Miss X that it had credited her single person discount back to 2019 but that she had confused this with the ended of her council tax support claim, which is a separate benefit. The Council told her in 2021 that her support claim ended and that she needed to make a fresh claim because it was not renewed automatically. Although it advised her how to apply it says she has not yet made a claim.
The Council replied to an enquiry from Miss X’s Member of Parliament and advised that she may be entitled to further council tax support and discretionary housing payments. It said it would write to her with further advice and that she may arrange to have a face to face appointment to help her understand her council tax billing and benefits.
The Council has administered Miss X’s council tax correctly and applied the discount which she is entitled to. She has not made a fresh claim for council tax support so it cannot calculate her entitlement if she has any.
Final decision
We will not investigate this complaint about council tax support and single person’s discount. There is insufficient evidence of fault which would warrant an investigation.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman