London Borough of Lambeth (25 019 613)
Category : Environment and regulation > Refuse and recycling
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 21 Jul 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Councils enforcement action about businesses leaving rubbish out on the street at the wrong time. There is not significant enough personal injustice to warrant further investigation.
The complaint
- Mr X complains that businesses in his area regularly put rubbish out on the street before the allowed collection time. He says the Council have not taken effective action to address the issue and it has failed to ensure businesses follow the relevant waste collection requirements.
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 any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B)).
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by Mr X and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Mr X complained to the Council in May 2025 about businesses in his area putting out rubbish for collection at the wrong time. He wanted it to take enforcement action to improve compliance. As part of its investigation, it said it would send letters to remind businesses of expectations about when they put their rubbish out. They have also done further investigation in the area and identified other steps they are going to take improve the situation, including working with parking enforcement to improve access for waste collection lorries.
- While I understand that Mr X feels strongly about this situation, the Council are taking suitable steps to resolve it. There is not significant continuing injustice to warrant further investigation.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because there is not significant enough ongoing injustice to warrant further investigation.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman