Kingston Upon Hull City Council (24 022 809)
Category : Environment and regulation > Refuse and recycling
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 22 Jun 2025
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about missed bin collections. This is because we could not add to the Council’s investigation or achieve a different outcome.
The complaint
- Mr X complains about several missed bin collections.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- 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:
- 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), as amended, section 34(B))
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- In December 2024, Mr X complained that collection crews had missed one of his bins three times in a row. The Council apologised and said it would monitor the collection.
- There have been two further recent recorded missed collections. The Council has again apologised to Mr X placed the route on a further period of monitoring and sent a memo to crews reminding them to collect from Mr X’s address.
- I appreciate Mr X remains unhappy, but an investigation would not add anything further or achieve a different outcome. The Council took prompt action when Mr X complained in December 2024 and again recently. It apologised and issued detailed responses with clear proposed actions. I am satisfied the Council’s actions are appropriate and proportionate and will therefore not investigate Mr X’s complaint.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because we could not add to the Council’s investigation or achieve a different outcome.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman