Nottingham City Council (25 006 570)
Category : Environment and regulation > Refuse and recycling
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 20 Nov 2025
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council failing to return the complainant’s bins back to the correct position as part of its assisted refuse collection service. The Council took satisfactory action in response to the complaint.
The complaint
- Miss X complains the Council has failed to return her bins back to the position she has requested as part of its assisted refuse collection service.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- We can investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. We provide a free service but must use public money carefully. So, we may decide not to start an investigation if we are satisfied with the actions an organisation has taken or proposes to take. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(7), as amended)
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by Miss X and the Council, which included their complaint correspondence.
- I also considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- I understand Miss X initially contacted the Council in July 2024 about her concerns, and pursued a complaint about the matter in May 2025.
- During the complaint process, the Council:
- reminded its refuse collection crew of where the bin needed to be returned to.
- called Miss X to discuss her complaint.
- looked at the CCTV from its refuse vehicles to check where the bin had been returned to.
- said it would monitor the collections for a month.
- With reference to paragraph 2 above, I am satisfied this was a reasonable way to address the complaint, so the Ombudsman will not start an investigation.
- Notwithstanding this, it seems to me there may be a misunderstanding/confusion about where the bins should be returned to. The Council appears to have returned the bins to the side of Miss X's property, which is in front of the garage gate. However, as I understand it, Miss X would like the bin to be placed a meter or so further back, immediately adjacent to the side gate.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because the Council took satisfactory action in response to her complaint.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman