Councils respond to LGO report on waste collection complaints

“Councils know that having a reliable and efficient waste collection and recycling service is hugely important to residents."

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Responding to a report by the Local Government Ombudsman on waste collection complaints, Cllr Martin Tett, Environment spokesman at the Local Government Association, said:

“The Ombudsman receives around 500 complaints about waste collection services a year. This number is very small compared to the millions of households which have waste collected each week across the country.

“Councils know that having a reliable and efficient waste collection and recycling service is hugely important to residents. It is actually one of the most popular services councils provide with almost 80 per cent of people happy with the way their bins are collected.

“Councils have seen their core central government funding cut by £2.2 billion this year. Faced with such funding pressures, many are increasingly having to look at innovative and cost-effective ways of delivering services, including collecting waste. Councils will, of course, examine the findings of this report for lessons to learn, particularly around monitoring outsourced contracts to ensure they continue to provide value for money and the high-quality services our residents expect.”