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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.
City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council (21 006 837)
Summary: Mr D complained the Council refused his business a Restart Grant to support it in re-opening following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in April 2021. We do not uphold the complaint, finding no fault in the Council’s decision.
Oxford City Council (21 007 116)
Summary: Mr X complains on behalf of Mr Y that the Council delayed passing his housing benefit appeal to the tribunal after it upheld its earlier decision to recover an overpayment. The Council is at fault. There was delay submitting the appeal to the tribunal. This did not cause Mr Y a significant injustice, but may be causing injustice to others. The Council has agreed to review its procedures.
Dover District Council (21 013 889)
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about council tax arrears because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.
Wakefield City Council (21 014 880)
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision to apply for an Attachment of Earnings order to recover a council tax debt, and about how the complainant was spoken to about the matter. This is because there is no evidence of fault, and we cannot add to the previous investigation carried out by the Council.
Manchester City Council (21 015 454)
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s decision to hold him liable for business rates as the issue is more appropriate for the courts. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint that the Council misrepresented its reasons for holding him liable as there is no evidence of fault.
London Borough of Barnet (21 015 569)
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about council tax discount. This is because it is reasonable to expect Mr Y to appeal to the Valuation Tribunal.
Liverpool City Council (20 010 430)
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council not making Mr X the named business ratepayer for a property and therefore not paying him some COVID-19-related business grants. This is mainly because the evidence suggests the Council properly reached its decision on the main point at issue.
Northumberland County Council (21 006 283)
Summary: There was no fault in how the Council decided the level of grant funding to provide personal care businesses, under its discretionary restart grant scheme. It was for the Council to devise the scheme and it has applied it properly. The complainant also says she was given misleading information by the Council, but we have ended our investigation of this point, because it would be disproportionate to continue it.
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (21 014 320)
Summary: Mr X complains about the way the Council has dealt with an overpayment of housing benefit. The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint because there is a right of appeal to a tribunal.
London Borough of Havering (21 014 627)
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about council tax for an annexe because the problem has been resolved.
London Borough of Croydon (21 015 127)
Summary: Ms X complains about the Council’s refusal to take a Council tax debt back from the bailiffs. We will not investigate this complaint because there is no evidence of fault by the Council.
Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council (21 015 142)
Summary: Mr X complains about the way the Council dealt with his Council tax liability. We will not investigate this complaint because the Council has remedied the matter.
Swindon Borough Council (21 015 319)
Summary: Ms X complains about eviction by the Council and recovery of an overpayment of housing benefit. The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint because the eviction is a matter for the Housing Ombudsman and the overpayment can be appealed to a tribunal.
East Lindsey District Council (21 005 192)
Summary: Ms Z, on behalf of Mr X, complained the Council failed to use its discretion to award the Small Business Grant after amending his liability at another premises and awarding small business rate relief. There is no fault by the Council as no changes were made to the rating list for Mr X’s business premises and so no requirement for the Council to consider exercising discretion.
City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council (21 006 516)
Summary: Mr X complained the Council refused all applications for COVID-19 business support grants from January 2021 onwards causing financial difficulties. Since making his complaint to the Ombudsman, the Council has made a payment to Mr X under a later stage of the Additional Restrictions Grant. There is no evidence of fault in how the Council dealt with Mr X’s grant applications.
Bedford Borough Council (21 014 429)
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision to backdate Mr X’s council tax payments. That is because the matter has already been considered by the Court and is outside our jurisdiction.
Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council (21 014 651)
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Mr X’s council tax liability and the Valuation List banding of his property. It was reasonable for him to appeal to the Valuation Tribunal and the Council is not responsible for amending the Valuation List.
London Borough of Waltham Forest (21 015 076)
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about recovery action for a business improvement district levy. There is not enough evidence of fault that prevented Mr X knowing the payment was due. We cannot consider parts of the complaint about court proceedings. Mr X could also have taken court action to seek the setting aside of the liability order.
Pendle Borough Council (21 015 431)
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about council tax and council tax reductions. This is because it is reasonable for Mr Y to be expected to appeal to the Valuation Tribunal.
East Hertfordshire District Council (21 012 240)
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about council tax liability. This is because the complainant can appeal to the Valuation Tribunal to have the charges removed or amended.
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