A man who was wrongly issued with a council tax bill for £12,000 has received an apology and £300 in compensation. Salford city council’s error caused the man, Mr X, ‘considerable anxiety and depression’, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found. The local authority was also at fault for responding to Mr X’s initial ‘stage one complaint’ outside the time frame allowed. Although the city council said it sent a stage two complaint response in writing to Mr X outside the permitted timescale, he said he never received it. “The city council only responded at stage two after Mr X complained to the Ombudsman,” the report said. “This is fault. “The city council’s failure to clarify the information before sending Mr X a council tax bill for £12,000 caused Mr X considerable anxiety and depression. “He also thought he had been the victim of fraud. The city council’s delay in dealing with his complaint aggravated this. That is injustice.” The report said Mr X had a property which he rented out between 2013 and 2019. He did not live at the property during this time. In late 2022, Mr X said the city council accused him of using the property as his holiday home and sent him a council tax bill for £12,000 in overdue council tax. Mr X said the city council told him it had evidence to prove this using car finance paperwork and benefit claims. He was concerned he had been the victim of fraud, and someone had taken these out in his name as he knew it was not him. Mr X submitted evidence to the city council to show a tenant lived at the property. He also submitted a statement from a neighbour confirming this and a letter from 2013 inviting him to an interview at the local job centre in the area where he lived, and not the area of the rented property. Mr X complained to the city council on March 17 2023. He told the Ombudsman he received an out of office email, acknowledging receipt of his complaint. On April 14 2023 a council tax officer (the CTO) telephoned Mr X. The CTO said the city council accepted Mr X’s evidence, amended the account, and reduced his council tax bill. The CTO also told Mr X a tenant had paid council tax while living in the property. The city council resolved the large incorrect council tax bill. Mr X complained to the Ombudsman on July 19 2023. In response to the Ombudsman’s inquiries, the city council said it treated the telephone call from the CTO to Mr X on April 14 as its stage one response. The city council said it sent a letter addressed to Mr X dated August 30 2023 and sent the Ombudsman a copy on the same day. It said this was its final response to Mr X’s complaint. Mr X said he did not receive a copy of this letter. In its complaint response, the city council explained it made Mr X liable for council tax at the property because of information from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) which suggested Mr X was claiming state benefit at that address. It also said information from the DWP is not always up-to-date or accurate and the city council should have contacted Mr X to clarify his situation, the Ombudsman said. The city council apologised about the confusion with the council tax and the delay in responding to Mr X’s complaint. The Ombudsman said: “The city council said the information from the DWP is not always up to date and accurate and it should have contacted Mr X and invited him to clarify his situation before it issued him with the council tax bill for £12,000. It did not. This is fault.” The Ombudsman concluded: “The city council has apologised for the delay in sorting the matter and the delay in responding to Mr X’s complaint. “The city council said it will speak to the member of staff to advise them to contact a charge payer if they are to alter a start date of liability resulting in a very large bill being created and to check if payment is owed. “In addition, within four weeks of the final decision, the city council agreed to pay Mr X £150 for the distress caused by the city council’s faults and pay him a further £150 for his time and trouble in bringing his complaint to the Ombudsman, without which, he would not have received a response. “The city council should provide us with evidence it has complied with the above actions. “I have completed my investigation. The city council wrongly issued Mr X a large council tax bill without checking the details. It also delayed responding to his complaint.” Salford city council have been contacted for comment.
