Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about missed garden waste collections. There is no significant injustice and no worthwhile outcome achievable for us, by investigating.

The complaint

1. X complained about missed garden waste collections. They said this had occurred on several occasions and meant they now have an accumulation of garden waste. X wants a partial refund of their annual subscription and for the Council to collect their accumulated waste.
2. X said the Council’s actions has caused them frustration and inconvenience.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

3. 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 any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement, or there is no worthwhile outcome achievable for us by our investigation. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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How I considered this complaint

4. I considered information provided by the complainant and I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. X said they were frustrated by the Council’s failure to collect their garden waste. X said this meant their garden waste had accumulated. The Council declined to consider a partial refund of X’s subscription to the service, because it would only do so, where the missed service, had occurred over three consecutive scheduled visits.
6. I will not investigate this complaint. We will not normally investigate a complaint unless there is good reason to believe that the complainant has suffered significant personal injustice as a direct result of the actions or inactions of the Council. To satisfy this threshold we would need to be satisfied a person has suffered serious loss, or harm, or distress directly because of the Council’s actions. I am not satisfied the injustice X has told us about, because of the Council’s actions, meets this threshold.
7. Additionally, there is no worthwhile outcome we could achieve by investigating. We could not direct the Council to collect X’s garden waste or refund part or all their annual subscription.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate X’s complaint because there is no significant injustice and no worthwhile outcome achievable.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman