North Northamptonshire Council (25 017 604)
Category : Environment and regulation > Refuse and recycling
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 13 May 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s failure to collect Mrs X’s garden waste for four weeks. The Council has apologised and extended Mrs X’s garden waste subscription for one month which covers the missed period. We consider further investigation is unlikely to lead to a different outcome.
The complaint
- Mrs X complains the Council:
- failed to collect her garden waste for four weeks
- failed to extend her subscription by two months as agreed; and
- failed to follow the complaint procedure.
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 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 Mrs X and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- The Council acknowledged that it failed to collect Mrs X’s garden waste for four weeks. In response to her complaint it explained it treated her initial complaint as a service request. It apologised for failing to arrange to collect the missed waste or provide addition collection sacks. It extended her garden waste subscription for one month and has provided a new sticker.
- I understand Mrs X wants compensation for having to pay to dispose of her garden waste when the Council failed to collect it. However, the Council has apologised. It has also extended her subscription by a month which covers the four missed weeks.
- We expect Councils to follow their complaints procedures. However, it is not a good use of public resources to investigate complaints about complaint procedures, if we are unable to deal with the substantive issue.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint because an investigation is unlikely to lead to a different outcome.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman