Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about dumped rubbish. This is because we could not add to the previous investigation carried out by the Council and any injustice is not significant enough to warrant an investigation.

The complaint

1. Miss X complains about the Council’s handling of refuse collections. She says the matter has caused her distress and she has on occasion not been able to attend work as bags of rubbish blocked her car on her driveway.

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, or
• we could not add to any previous investigation by the organisation, or
• further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.

(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 the complainant and the Council.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

Back to top

My assessment

5. Miss X says refuse collection staff have been putting bags of rubbish from neighbouring properties near to and on her driveway. She says the rubbish has prevented her from being able to move her car off her driveway. She says the bags split open on occasion and rubbish was left behind after the bags were collected.
6. The Council investigated the matter and instructed the waste contractor not to leave bags near Miss X’s property. The Council also apologised to Miss X. The Council’s response to the issue is reasonable and proportionate and appropriate action has been taken to prevent rubbish bags from being left near to Miss X’s property. The Ombudsman could not add to the Council’s investigation nor would a further investigation lead to a different outcome.
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. As a publicly funded body we must be careful how we use our resources.
8. Miss X complained to the Council in July 2025 about incidents before then. In her complaint to the Ombudsman, Miss X says bags were again left by her property in December 2025. This amounts to a fresh complaint as the action the Council took in mid-2025 appears to have worked until then. Miss X should therefore complain again through the Council’s complaints procedure about the more recent incident and if not satisfied with its response, she can again complain to the Ombudsman.

Back to top

Final decision

9. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because we could not add to the Council’s investigation and any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement.

Back to top

Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman