Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council dealt with a complaint about its garden waste collection service. This is because the complaint does not meet the tests in our Assessment Code on how we decide which complaints to investigate. There is not enough evidence of significant personal injustice, and we will not look at complaint handling as a standalone issue.

The complaint

1. The complainant, Mrs X, complains about how the Council handled the suspension of its garden waste collection service. Mrs X is unhappy about how long it took for the Council to offer a refund for the period when the service was suspended. The Council then tried to take a direct debit payment even though Mrs X had cancelled the service. Mrs X is unhappy with how her complaint has been dealt with and the content of some of the Council’s responses.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse effect on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start an investigation if the tests set out in our Assessment Code are not met. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. In its responses to Mrs X the Council has said it was sorry if Mrs X felt her emails had been ignored. It apologised Mrs X had to contact her bank to make sure a further payment was not collected. The Council said it was sorry for the delay in sending a cheque for £6.40 and that Mrs X had been put to time and trouble.
6. I understand Mrs X is frustrated by the issues at the heart of her complaint. But the injustice to Mrs X is not significant enough to warrant us investigating. The amount in question is only £6.40 which the Council has now paid. We do not have the resources to investigate complaint handling as a standalone issue if we are not going to look at the issue which led to the original complaint. We will not therefore investigate.

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Final decision

7. We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint. There is not enough evidence of significant personal injustice, and we will not look at complaint handling as a standalone issue.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman