Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s decision to increase the charge for its garden waste collection service. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault.

The complaint

1. Mr X complained about the Council’s decision to increase the amount it charges for its garden waste collection service.
2. Mr X said he has a disability, that he is reliant upon the Council’s garden waste collection service, and said the increased costs disproportionately affect him.
3. Mr X wants the Council to reduce the cost of its garden waste collections.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

4. We investigate 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 continue an investigation if we decide there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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How I considered this complaint

5. I considered information provided by the complainant.
6. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

7. Mr X complained the Council increased the charge for its garden waste collection service from £78 in 2023/24 to £120 for 2024/25. Mr X explained he has a disability, a limited income, and is reliant on the garden waste collection service.
8. The Council responded to Mr X’s complaint and told him it had considered the impact of the increased charges on residents but said to meet the rising costs of providing the service it had agreed through its budget-setting process the increase was necessary. It explained it followed the full decision review process and considered the increase through its scrutiny committee and received councillor approval.

Analysis

9. We are not an appeal body. Our role is to review the process by which decisions are made. We look for evidence of fault causing a significant injustice to the individual complainant.
10. We will not investigate this complaint. The Council explained to Mr X how it had made the decision to increase the price of its garden waste collection service. The Council’s budget meeting minutes dated November 2023 show the Council considered the impact of the increase on residents, but ultimately decided the increase was necessary.
11. As a result, there is insufficient evidence of fault in how the Council decided to increase the charge for its garden waste collection service to warrant an investigation by the Ombudsman, and so we will not investigate.

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Final decision

12. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because there is insufficient evidence of fault to warrant an investigation by the Ombudsman.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman