The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about assisted waste collection the Council missed. We are satisfied with the action the Council have taken to address Miss X’s concerns.
The complaint
Miss X complained the Council repeatedly did not collect her waste despite the fact she had an agreement with it to provide an assisted waste collection service. Miss X said this caused her additional stress and concern about rodents.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. In this statement, I have used the word fault to refer to these. We provide a free service but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start or continue with an investigation if we are satisfied with the actions an organisation has taken. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(7), as amended)
How I considered this complaint
I considered information provided by Miss X and the Council.
I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
Miss X complained the Council had repeatedly not collected her waste in line with an agreement she had in place, that it would provide her with additional support to remove her waste. The Council replied to Miss X’s complaint, and it accepted it had previously missed collections and had not resolved her earlier concerns. It also apologised the service it had provided her was poor.
Miss X escalated her complaint saying she was concerned about rodent infestation and the Council replied reiterating its earlier apology and accepted it had caused her distress. It offered to ask one of its pest control officers to visit her and give advice.
Because of the actions the Council has taken in response to Miss X’s complaint, I am satisfied there is no requirement for us to investigate.
Final decision
We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because the Council have satisfactorily resolved her complaint.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman