17 October 2003
Oxford City Council has been found guilty of maladministration for deducting council tax arrears from the wrong man after trying to trace a defaulter using only a telephone directory.
The local government ombudsman found that the complainant had not been a resident of Oxford for 30 years, but had the same name as someone who owed the authority £1,000 in council tax.
Using phone records, council officers decided the man – who lived in Southwark in south London – must be their quarry, despite failing to verify his address or contacting him to check.
For two years, Oxford deducted a regular amount from the innocent man's benefits. The council, which also took several months to refund the money, was ordered to pay the resident £750 in compensation and was censured by ombudsman Jerry White.
Southwark council also came under fire from the ombudsman. It was found to have passed on information about the complainant without querying Oxford's claims and showed a poor regard for data protection.
It was ordered to pay £250 in compensation and found guilty of maladministration.
Both councils have been ordered to review their procedures to ensure that no repetition occurs.
PFoct2003
