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Please note: our decisions are published six weeks after they are issued to councils, care providers and the person who has made the complaint. The cases below reflect the caselaw and guidance available at the time of issue and the individual circumstances of each case.
Lancaster City Council (21 002 312)
Summary: Ms X complained the Council wrongly refused her business a COVID-19 business grant, causing financial difficulties. There is no fault in how the Council determined Ms X’s application.
Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea (21 003 574)
Summary: Mr X complained the Council wrongly refused his business a grant, causing financial difficulties. We find no fault in the Council’s decision making.
Cheshire East Council (21 004 809)
Summary: Although the complainant missed out on a COVID-19 business support grant it appears he was eligible for, this was not due to fault by the Council. We have therefore completed our investigation.
Scarborough Borough Council (21 013 790)
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Mr X not receiving a COVID-19-related business grant. The evidence suggests the Council was not at fault for refusing the grant.
Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council (21 012 485)
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about an overpayment of housing benefit. This is because the complainant could have used her right of appeal and the complaint is late.
Buckinghamshire Council (21 013 385)
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about council tax arrears because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.
Coventry City Council (20 014 276)
Summary: there was fault in the way the Council handled Mr X’s enquiries about costs relating to a charging order on his property and delay in providing him with a final settlement figure. But we found no evidence that the Council had reneged on an agreement to write off the costs when Mr X cleared his Council Tax arrears. We have completed the investigation because the Council agreed to provide a suitable remedy for Mr X’s time and trouble.
Huntingdonshire District Council (21 007 953)
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s refusal of an application for a self-isolation payment. There is no evidence of fault by the Council.
London Borough of Croydon (21 009 757)
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about council tax. This is because there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating the complaint.
North East Derbyshire District Council (21 013 832)
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Mrs X’s council tax bills. There is not enough evidence of fault by the Council.
London Borough of Barnet (21 013 834)
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about council tax. This is because it is reasonable to expect Mr and Mrs Y to appeal to the Valuation Tribunal.
Newark & Sherwood District Council (21 014 051)
Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint that the Council reduced her housing benefit and council tax support in the summer of 2021. It is reasonable for Mrs X to use her rights of appeal to the Social Security and Valuation Tribunals.
London Borough of Hounslow (21 013 394)
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Ms X’s council tax liability. The Council has now resolved the complaint and Ms X no longer needs to pay backdated council tax. Our involvement would not lead to a different outcome.
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames (21 013 817)
Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint that the Council stopped her housing benefit and is recovering overpayments of benefit. We cannot investigate because Ms X has appealed to the Social Security Tribunal. She may seek a late appeal if she has not appealed all the Council’s benefit decisions made in the last year.
Leeds City Council (21 006 078)
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council dealt with the complainant’s council tax. This is because the complaint does not meet the tests in our Assessment Code on how we decide which complaints to investigate. Fault by the Council has not caused the complainant injustice warranting our involvement.
Wyre Borough Council (21 010 849)
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint that the Council failed to properly advise him about a COVID-19 business grant scheme. This is because there is no evidence of fault by the Council and its actions did not cause Mr X significant injustice.
London Borough of Haringey (21 013 689)
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about matters related to Miss X’s housing benefit. We would not be able to reach a clear enough view about whether an officer was rude; nor did that cause Miss X a significant enough injustice for us to investigate. Miss X could reasonably have appealed about her concerns about the Council’s decision she got too much housing benefit. We would also not be able to reach a clear enough view now on the latter point.
London Borough of Brent (21 013 743)
Summary: Ms X disputes the amounts of housing benefit recovered and repaid by the Council. We will not investigate this complaint because she appealed (and could appeal) to a tribunal and there is no evidence of fault by the Council.
Stratford-on-Avon District Council (20 013 134)
Summary: Ms Y complains the Council failed to clearly explain how her Council Tax bill was calculated and did not offer her an affordable special payment arrangement for Council Tax arrears. She complains about the Council’s consideration of her vulnerability when writing to her about a possible Magistrates Summons. She says this has caused her distress. The Ombudsman does not find fault in the action and decisions taken by the Council.
City of York Council (21 010 784)
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint that the Council refused to grant a council tax reduction on a property he owns which was empty due to the Covid-19 restrictions. We cannot lawfully question council tax policy or achieve the outcome Mr X wants.
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