Northampton Borough Council (19 009 426)
Category : Environment and regulation > Refuse and recycling
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 02 Nov 2019
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about her recycling collections. This is because it is unlikely an investigation by the Ombudsman could achieve anything more at the current time.
The complaint
- Mrs X complains recycling bins are often left blocking her drive once they have been emptied by the Council’s contractor.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. In this statement, I have used the word ‘fault’ to refer to these. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint. I refer to this as ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start or continue with an investigation if we believe it is unlikely we could add to any previous investigation by the Council. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended)
How I considered this complaint
- I considered Mrs X’s complaint to the Ombudsman and the information she provided. I also gave Mrs X the opportunity to comment on a draft statement before reaching a final decision on her complaint.
What I found
- Mrs X has complained to the Council about recycling bins being left so they block her drive. This means that to use the drive, Mrs X has to stop her car on a busy road and move the bins. The Council has responded to Mrs X’s complaints. It has spoken to its staff and carried out a site visit. I spoke with Mrs X on the telephone and she said the situation had improved in recent weeks. Empty bins are no longer being left so they block her drive.
- Because the situation has improved, it is unlikely our involvement could achieve anything more for Mrs X. An investigation by the Ombudsman is not therefore appropriate at the current time. If there were to be further problems in the future, Mrs X could raise them with the Council and bring her complaint back to the Ombudsman. We could then decide if an investigation was appropriate.
Final decision
- The Ombudsman will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint. This is because it is unlikely an investigation by the Ombudsman could achieve anything more at the current time.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman