Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about missed waste collections and mishandling of a complaint. The matter complained about did not cause the complainant a significant personal injustice and it is unlikely we could add anything to the Council’s response.

The complaint

1. Mr X complains the Council missed his bin collection and subsequently mishandled his complaint to them about this.
2. Mr X further complains he is having sleepless nights as the Council is not answering his complaint properly.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

3. The Ombudsman investigates complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We do not start or may decide not to continue with an investigation if we decide:

• any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement, or
• we could not add to any previous investigation by the organisation, or
• further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.

(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6))

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How I considered this complaint

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

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My assessment

6. Evidence from the Council shows Mr X experienced a small number of missed collections in December 2021 and January 2022. There is no evidence to suggest this was part of a series of events.
7. The Council have explained why and how Mr X’s first contact was not allocated as a complaint but as a missed collection.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint. This is because the matter complained about did not cause a significant personal injustice and it is unlikely we could add anything to the Council’s response.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman