Summary: Mr X complained about the Council’s bin collection service leaving his bin away from his property after collecting waste. Mr X also complained the Council failed to respond to his complaints in a timely manner. The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint. This is because it is unlikely further investigation will lead to a different outcome.

The complaint

1. Mr X complains about the Council’s waste collection service leaving his bin away from his property after collecting waste. Mr X also complains the Council did not reply to his concerns in a timely manner.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. 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 further investigation will lead to a different outcome. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered the information provided by Mr X and the Council. Mr X had an opportunity to comment on my draft decision and I considered his comments before making a final decision.

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What I found

Background

4. In November 2019 Mr X complained to the Council about its waste collection service provider not returning bins after collecting the waste.
5. The Council did not respond to Mr X in a timely manner and the complaint escalated as Mr X did not see an improvement in the collection service for several months.
6. When we asked the Council about the delay in replying to Mr X’s complaints it explained that it logged some of them as service requests, rather than complaints.
7. Mr X remained unhappy with the service and he complained to the Ombudsman.

Assessment

8. We will not investigate this complaint because an investigation is unlikely to lead to a different outcome. In making my decision I am mindful of the fact that:
• Mr X confirmed that he has seen an improvement in the services and the service provider is now returning bins to the edge of property.
• the Council has provided proof of checking the service quality on Mr X’s street.
• Mr X is directly in contact with the service provider to raise any further concerns. The Council cannot guarantee the staffing of its service provider and cannot be held responsible for any personnel changes. The monitoring should however continue, as the Council is responsible for maintaining the service quality.
9. I understand that Mr X is not satisfied that it has taken this long for the service to improve. However, as the service has improved, our further involvement is unlikely lead to achieve more for Mr X.
10. It is not a good use of public resources to investigate complaints about complaint procedures as a standalone issue.

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Final decision

11. The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint. This is because we believe it is unlikely further investigation will lead to a different outcome.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman