Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about the Council’s waste collection service. This is because we could not add to the Council’s investigation.

The complaint

1. Mrs X complained the Council repeatedly missed her waste collection. The matter caused her and her husband distress. Mrs X wants the Council to implement service improvements to ensure her waste is consistently collected. She also wants the Council to provide her with a financial remedy for the injustice caused.

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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 we could not add to any previous investigation by the organisation (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 Mrs X and the Council.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. Mrs X said the Council has placed a temporary pause on requests for new or additional bins. Mrs X said her household waste regularly exceeds the capacity of their bin. As she cannot request an additional bin, she leaves excess waste by the bin for collection.
6. Mrs X complained to the Council and said its refuse team had failed to consistently collect the excess waste. Mrs X and her husband cannot manually take the excess waste to the local refuse centre due to health challenges they both have.
7. The Council responded to Mrs X’s complaint. It apologised to Mrs X and said it would address the matter with its refuse team. It noted its refuse team had recently returned to her property to collect the excess waste it had recently missed.
8. Mrs X complained again to the Council as despite its assurances, its refuse team missed another collection.
9. The Council provided Mrs X with a further apology and said it would address the matter with its refuse team again. It said it would continue to monitor the matter to resolve her complaint.
10. We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint. The Council acknowledged the missed collections, apologised to Mrs X and addressed the matter with the relevant staff. This was appropriate and what we would expect it to do. Having considered the Council's investigation and the action it has taken, we do not consider we could add to its investigation.

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Final decision

11. We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint because we could not add to the Council’s investigation.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman