Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about the Council’s decision to move to three-weekly general waste collections. This is because the law prevents us investigating something affecting most of the residents in the Council’s area.

The complaint

1. Mrs X complains the Council changed refuse collections to three-weekly without adequately notifying residents. She says this has increased the time she spends disposing of household rubbish and led to waste accumulating in her street.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
3. We cannot investigate something that affects all or most of the people in a council’s area. (Local Government Act 1974, section 26(7), as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

4. I considered information provided by Mrs X and the Council.
5. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

6. Apart from residents living in flats and houses in multiple occupation, the decision to move to three-weekly refuse collections affects all residents in the Council’s area who receive refuse collection. That amounts to most of the residents. Therefore, the restriction in paragraph 3 prevents us investigating.

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Final decision

7. We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint because the issue complained about affects most of the residents in the Council’s area.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman