Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s handling of a bulky waste collection. This is because we have decided any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement.

The complaint

1. Ms X complains the Council failed to collect all the items paid for in a bulky waste collection. She says this caused injustice because she has had to pursue the matter and one item remained uncollected. She wants the Council to refund the cost of the bulky waste collection.

Back to top

The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. People may complain to the Ombudsman if they have a claim of injustice caused by alleged or apparent ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’ by a public organisation we could investigate, or by the actions of a private adult social care provider. (Local Government Act 1974, section 26A(1) or section 34C(1)(a)).
3. 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, or section 34B(8)).
4. We will not usually investigate complaint handling if we are not investigating the rest of the complaint. This is because there is not usually enough injustice to justify us doing so. We collect information about particularly poor complaint handling practice and report this back to organisations. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), section 34B(8))

Back to top

How I considered this complaint

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

Back to top

My assessment

7. Ms X says the Council attended the wrong address, marked the collection as complete and closed the job without taking all the items. She says it refused to take an item because it did not meet the criteria for collection.
8. The discretion we have in law, combined with our Assessment Code, means we will normally only investigate a complaint where the person has suffered serious loss, harm, or distress as a direct result of faults or failures by the body complained about. We will not normally investigate a complaint where the alleged loss or injustice is not a serious or significant matter.
9. I recognise the circumstances of Ms X’s complaint have had some effect on her, but it is not significant enough to warrant us investigating. She paid £30 for the collection of several items and only one remained uncollected. Also, we have limited resources and must use public money carefully. The charge for a bulky waste collection is relatively modest and does not justify public money being spent on an investigation by the Ombudsman.
10. If we are not investigating the subject matter in a complaint, we will not usually investigate separately the way an organisation handles complaints and correspondence about it. This is because it does not usually cause significant enough extra injustice than the underlying matter to warrant it. That is the case here.

Back to top

Final decision

11. We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint because any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement.

Back to top

Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman