Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint that the Council failed to collect his recycling on one occasion and cancelled two re-scheduled collections without notice because the Council already apologised, collected the recycling, and put in place monitoring. An investigation is unlikely to achieve any additional outcome. We will not investigate his complaint about the Council’s complaint handling because the claimed injustice is not significant enough.

The complaint

1. Mr X complained the Council:
1. missed his recycling collection on one occasion and cancelled two scheduled re-visits without notice; and
2. failed to investigate his complaints properly.
2. Mr X said the matter caused him distress and time and trouble to resolve.

Back to top

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:

• any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement, 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))

Back to top

How I considered this complaint

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

Back to top

My assessment

6. We will not investigate this complaint. In its complaint response the Council apologised for the missed collection and for failing to inform Mr X that it had cancelled the re-scheduled collections on two occasions. It eventually collected the recycling and put in place monitoring to prevent recurrence of the fault. Consequently, an investigation is unlikely to achieve anything further, and so we will not investigate this complaint.
7. Mr X also complained about the Council’s complaints process. He explained the Council gave different reasons at stage one and stage two of its process as to why his bin was not collected and about delays in the Council’s response.
8. The Council has already remedied the primary issue by apologising, collecting the recycling, and implementing monitoring. Any injustice caused by an alleged discrepancy in the Council’s complaints response is not significant enough to warrant our involvement. Consequently, we will not investigate its complaint handling.

Back to top

Final decision

9. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because an investigation is unlikely to achieve any additional outcome for the primary matter, and the alleged injustice for the remainder is not significant enough to warrant our involvement.

Back to top

Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman