The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s failure to return his bin to his property. This is because the Council has taken appropriate action to resolve the issue.
The complaint
The complainant, Mr X, complains the Council has failed to return his bins to his property as part of his assisted bin collection on several occasions over the past two years.
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 a council has taken or proposes to take. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(7), as amended)
How I considered this complaint
I considered information provided by Mr X and the Council.
I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
The Council has investigated Mr X’s concerns and taken action to address the issues he has experienced. It has provided Mr X with contact details in the event his bin is not returned in the future and Mr X confirms the Council’s actions have resolved his complaint. While Mr X has experienced another issue recently this was an isolated event and the Council has acted quickly to ensure it does not happen again. It has also apologised.
We consider this is a suitable remedy for the complaint and will not therefore investigate the matter further.
Final decision
We will not investigate this complaint. This is because the Council has taken appropriate action to resolve Mr X’s concerns.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman