Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a missed garden waste collection. This is because there is not significant enough personal injustice to warrant investigation.

The complaint

1. Mrs X complains the Council missed a garden waste collection and refuses to make an extra collection to make up for it.

Back to top

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))

Back to top

How I considered this complaint

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

Back to top

My assessment

5. Our role is to consider complaints where the person bringing the complaint has suffered significant personal injustice as a direct result of the actions or inactions of the organisation complained about. This means 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.
6. The garden waste collection is an optional service, for which Mrs X pays an annual fee. Depending on when Mrs X signed up for the service, she would have paid £86.54 or £88.50, which entitles her to 24 collections. This equates to less than £4 per collection.
7. Although I recognise a missed collection is important to Mrs X, I do not consider their caused her significant enough to warrant investigation.

Back to top

Final decision

8. We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint because the missed collection did not cause Mrs X significant injustice.

Back to top

Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman