Council Tax billing
Merton Council is addressing a significant rise in formal complaints, partly attributed to AI-generated submissions, impacting Council Tax billing processes.
Merton Council reported a 39% increase in formal complaints during the 2025/26 financial year, with 1,450 stage 1 complaints logged, 638 of which were upheld. This rise was presented at a Governance Standards and Audit Committee meeting in September 2026.
Sharon Evans, Director of Governance and Civic Services, stated that the use of Artificial Intelligence in generating complaints is a contributing factor, a trend observed nationally. This is leading to more complex and lengthy investigations, requiring substantial resources from local authorities. No upcoming meetings are currently scheduled to discuss this topic.
Key facts
- Merton Council saw a 39% increase in formal complaints in the 2025/26 financial year. Source
- 1,450 stage 1 complaints were logged by Merton Council in 2025/26. Source
- 638 of Merton Council's stage 1 complaints were upheld in 2025/26. Source
- The rise in complaints is partly attributed to AI use, according to Sharon Evans. Source
About this summary
This summary was written automatically from our published stories and the council meeting records they draw on, with background from Wikipedia. It describes what councils have discussed and decided; it does not take a view on any decision. Each key fact links to the story it comes from. Updated 1 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Email community@opencouncil.network.