Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint that the Council failed to collect his household waste in December 2024. This is because the Council already apologised and an investigation by the Ombudsman is unlikely to achieve any additional outcome.

The complaint

1. Mr X complained the Council failed to collect his household waste in December 2024. Mr X said the matter caused him frustration.

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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 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, or
• there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation.

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

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How I considered this complaint

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

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My assessment

5. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint that the Council failed to collect his household waste in December 2024.
6. In its complaint response the Council upheld Mr X’s complaint. It apologised and put in place collection monitoring to prevent recurrence of the fault. These are the actions the Ombudsman would expect the Council to take.
7. Consequently, an investigation by the Ombudsman is unlikely to achieve any additional outcome, and so we will not investigate this complaint.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because an investigation is unlikely to achieve any additional outcome.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman