Ms D complained about persistent problems with Flintshire County Council’s assisted waste collection service. Ms D said that, since starting the service in around September 2024, her waste and recycling had hardly been collected.
The Ombudsman decided that, despite monitoring having been implemented, there continued to be missed collections. On occasions, waste and recycling had been piling up at Ms D’s home. Ms D had to telephone the Council, on a weekly basis, about the issue. This caused stress and inconvenience to Ms D, which in turn affected her physical and mental health. The Ombudsman decided to settle the complaint without an investigation.
The Ombudsman sought and gained the Council’s agreement to, within 4 weeks, remind staff that Ms D’s waste and recycling should be collected in accordance with the Council’s Assisted Collection service and monitor collections for a period of 12 weeks. The Council further agreed to provide Ms D with a written apology for the continued failings in collecting her waste and recycling and offer financial redress of £125 for the inconvenience caused and the time and trouble associated with pursuing her complaints.