Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision not to proceed with plans proposed by the complainant to improve the Council’s recycling service. We consider an investigation would not lead to a different outcome.

The complaint

1. Mr X complains the Council failed to correctly consider a plan to increase recycling. He says the Council’s waste department either sabotaged the documents he provided or ignored the documents instead.
2. Mr X wants the Council to:
• Apologise to him.
• Place him in a position to continue with his plans.
• Identify those responsible for sabotaging or ignoring the plans and investigate.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

3. 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 further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.

(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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How I considered this complaint

4. I considered information provided by Mr X.
5. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

6. Mr X worked for a private company which dealt with recycling in the area. He has been in contact with the councillor responsible for waste services. After some correspondence with Mr X, the Councillor advised him the Council was working to make changes to its own waste services so would not explore Mr X’s proposals. But it would be open to considering other projects to sit alongside its recycling and food waste service.
7. We consider complaints about administrative fault. In this case, the Council told Mr X it would not consider his proposal. A petition on the same matter was also considered at a meeting of the full Council.
8. It is for the Council to decide whether it wishes to enter a contract for services.

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Final decision

9. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because we consider that further investigation will not lead to a different outcome.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman