North Northamptonshire Council

The Ombudsman's final decision

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about failed waste collections and complaint handling. This is because further investigation is unlikely to find fault by the Council.

The complaint

Mrs X complained the Council did not collect her household waste for several months after she moved into a new property. She said this led to a build-up of waste. She also complained about the Council's poor communication and its handling of her complaint. Mrs X says the matter caused her stress, inconvenience, hygiene concerns, and time and trouble pursuing the issue. She wants a financial remedy, service improvements, and an apology.

The Ombudsman’s role and powers

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))

How I considered this complaint

I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.

I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

My assessment

Mrs X moved into a new property and put her waste out at the location she had been told to use. When the waste was not collected, she complained to the Council.

The Council investigated the complaint but did not uphold it. It found the developer had advised Mrs X to put her waste out at the wrong location, which meant the collections did not take place. The Council visited the property and advised Mrs X of the correct collection point.

We will not investigate Mrs X's complaint because further investigation is unlikely to find fault by the Council. The evidence suggests the missed collections resulted from incorrect information about the collection point rather than a failure by the Council to provide the service. Once aware of the issue, the Council investigated, visited the property, explained where the waste should be presented, and the problem was resolved.

Mrs X also complains about the Council's complaint handling. We do not normally investigate complaint handling as a standalone issue where we are not investigating the substantive complaint. We will therefore not consider this element of Mrs X’s complaint.

Final decision

We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint, this is because further investigation is unlikely to find evidence of fault by the Council.

Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman