Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about the Council’s decision to increase the charge for collection of additional bins in its garden waste subscription service. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council to warrant an investigation.

The complaint

1. Miss X complains the Council has increased the cost of collection of additional bins in its green waste subscription service from £8 to £30 per bin without consulting service users. This means her annual subscription cost has increased from £69 to £140.

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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 there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered information provided by the complainant and information on the Council’s website.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. Councils are not required to provide a green waste service for its residents. The Council has decided to provide an optional green waste collection service which is paid for via an annual subscription for those residents who choose to use it. The Council can decide the charges for this optional service. The cost of the service for 2026/2027 is £50 for collection of the first bin and £30 for the collection of each additional bin.
6. The Council told Miss X the increase in charges for 2026/2027 had been carefully calculated to take an aggregated, longer term view of user take-up and increased operating costs.
7. The Council’s green waste website page provides information about the service costs and the reasons for the price rise for collection of additional bins. It explains that as the service is discretionary it must cover its own costs without being subsidised by general council tax payers. It reviews the charges periodically to ensure they are set at the right level to provide full cost recovery. The standard subscription covers the cost of collecting one bin. Additional bins require more vehicle space, more processing and more resources. The higher cost for additional bins ensures the cost to single bin subscribers remains fair and that it has the correct fleet of vehicles and staffing levels to protect the long term viability of the service for residents who choose to use it.
8. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council here to warrant an investigation. The Council is entitled to decide the costs for this opt-in service which it is not required to provide. It has clearly explained the reasons for increasing the charges for additional bins for the coming year. It is a decision it is entitled to make. Miss X is not required to use this service. If she considers the Council’s service no longer provides value for money she can use alternative means to dispose of her garden waste.

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Final decision

9. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council to warrant an investigation.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman