Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council charging residents to collect garden waste. This is because there is not enough evidence of fault to justify an investigation.

The complaint

1. Mr B complains the Council has wrongly decided to charge residents to collect garden waste. Mr B says this service should be covered by his council tax payments and the Council should manage its budget more effectively.

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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 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 Mr B.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. Local authorities are not required to collect garden waste but it is a service a local authority may choose to provide. Local authorities are allowed to charge residents for this service and many authorities do.
6. This is a matter for each council to decide and it is not our role to tell the Council it should not operate such a scheme.
7. So, there is not enough evidence of fault to justify an investigation into this complaint.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate Mr B’s complaint because there is not enough evidence of fault to justify an investigation.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman