Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about missed bin collections because any injustice is not significant enough to warrant an investigation.

The complaint

1. Mr X complains the Council has missed several bin collections. He says he has paid for the Council’s overgrown hedges to be cut back to allow access.

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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 any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement. (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 and the Council.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. Mr X complained the Council missed several bin collections. He said it told him this was due to access issues caused by overgrown hedges. He said he paid for these to be cut back but the bin collections were still being missed.
6. The Council said it had visited the site and told Mr X it did not own the hedges causing an access issue. It said there was no room for the standard vehicle to turn so it would use a smaller vehicle with limited capacity.
7. We will normally only investigate a complaint where the complainant has suffered serious loss, harm, or distress as a direct result of faults or failures. We will not normally investigate a complaint where the alleged loss or injustice is not a serious or significant matter. While I acknowledge the inconvenience caused to Mr X, I consider any injustice is not significant enough to justify an investigation by the Ombudsman.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because any injustice is not significant enough to justify an investigation by the Ombudsman.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman