Slough Borough Council has been told to pay a man £350 after taking him to court for unpaid council tax – despite his attempts to pay it.

The man – named in a watchdog’s report as Mr X – was slapped with a court summons and a liability order by the authority, after he believed he’d arranged to pay his arrears.

An investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman says the council caused Mr X ‘stress’ and ‘injustice’.

Mr X was written to by Slough Borough Council in July 2023 asking him to repay some outstanding council tax for the previous year.

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He had told the council in July 2022 about a change in his circumstances, and the council refunded him in March 2023.

But in May 2023 the council asked him to provide evidence of his and his wife’s pensions and savings to calculate any entitlement to benefits. Then in July that year it sent him a letter telling him he owed council tax for the previous year and asking for payment in full.

Mr X wrote to the council that month saying that his budget meant he could afford to repay it in monthly installments of £30. He included a £30 cheque.

The council cashed the cheque but sent him a final reminder asking him to pay the rest. The letter said that if he didn’t pay or make an arrangement to pay, the council would take him to court.

Mr X replied that he believed he had made an arrangement to pay. But a week later the council issued him a court summons, only to cash another cheque from him three days later.

When he attended court he spoke to a council officer who agreed to accept his offer of £30 a month and said the council would not seek a liability order forcing him to pay. But later that day it sent him a letter anyway telling him that a liability order had been issued.

Mr X complained to the council in August 2023. After delays in handling the complaint the council confirmed it had accepted his offer and withdrawn the liability order.

The council had sent him a letter dated November 2023 confirming this and apologising for any confusion, but this only arrived in January 2024. The council then also apologised for not writing to Mr X to confirm the summons and liability order were withdrawn.

Mr X remained unhappy and complained to the ombudsman. After investigating the ombudsman criticised the council for not responding to Mr X’s original offer to pay £30 a month.

The ombudsman said: “Had the council responded to this offer, it is more likely than not it would have accepted it.”

The ombudsman also said that the council was at fault for its delays in handling Mr X’s complaint. It told the council to pay Mr X £250 for the stress caused and another £100 for the time and trouble caused by delays.