Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint that the Council wrongly advised him about paying council tax for his holiday let. This is because there is not enough evidence of fault by the Council.

Summary: Miss B complained the Council wrongly told her she would be able to claim housing benefit when she moved to North Devon. Miss B said she could not claim housing benefit when she moved, and this put her in financial difficulty. The Council was at fault for implementing the Amendment of the Universal Credit (Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2014 in June 2018 before the ruling came into effect in January 2019. The Council incorrectly told Miss B her benefits would be unaffected if she moved and wrongly paid her housing benefit. This caused injustice to Miss B. The Council agreed to make a financial payment to Miss B to acknowledge the impact of its fault.

Summary: Ms X complains that the Council revised her entitlement to council tax support and increased her council tax bill as a result. We will not investigate this complaint because this is a matter for the Valuation Tribunal.

Summary: Ms X complains that the Council acted unreasonably in pursuing arrears of council tax. We will not investigate this complaint because there is no evidence of fault by the Council.

Summary: Mr B complained about the Council’s handling of his claim for housing benefit and the recovery of overpayments. There was fault that caused injustice to Mr B. The Council will apologise and make a payment.

Summary: Mr X complained the Council refused to award a small business grant, which caused financial hardship. The Council was not at fault.

Summary: Ms T complained that there was fault in the way the Council dealt with her application for a discretionary housing payment. We found the Council was at fault in failing to consider Ms T’s request for financial assistance with fitting carpets in her new property. To remedy the injustice caused, the Council re-considered this request and agreed to reimburse Ms T for the cost of the carpets and pay her £250 in recognition of credit card charges she incurred by having to borrow money to pay for the carpets.

Summary: It is too late for us to investigate issues relating to the complainant’s council tax support which arose in 2018. The Information Commissioner’s Office is best placed to deal with Freedom of Information and data protection issues.

Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about the Council’s decision to refuse her application for a Test and Trace Support Payment. This is because it is unlikely we would find fault in the way the Council reached its decision.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint that the Council has not given the complainant a Discretionary Housing Payment. The complainant is not entitled to such a payment because he has no housing rental liability.

Summary: We will not investigate this council tax complaint and the Council’s decision not to remove some court costs. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council and because the costs have been confirmed in court.