A resident has been paid money from the city council after it failed to collect his rubbish.

An investigation into Brighton and Hove City Council's refuse and recycling system has upheld a complaint from the resident, identified as Mr X, who expressed distress over the repeated non-collection of bins over a substantial period.

The Local Government Ombudsman found the council at fault and recommended remedial measures, including an apology to Mr X, payment of £100 for distress caused, action to prevent future recurrence, and consideration of remedies for others similarly affected.

Mr X's complaint highlighted that the council had persistently failed to pick up his trash, as outlined in the council's own policy promising weekly rubbish and bi-weekly recycling collections.

The neglect, extending over several years, led to waste bags being torn open by animals and rubbish scattered everywhere, creating a distressing and inconvenient situation for Mr X.

The Ombudsman focused their investigation on the 12-month period prior to Mr X's complaint, in accordance with their mandate to probe complaints about 'maladministration' and 'service failure'. 

They acknowledged the Council's fault and identified the negative impact or 'injustice' on the complainant.

In response to Mr X's complaints throughout 2022, the Council had initiated an audit of collections to improve services. 

However, despite the audit and subsequent coaching of the waste collection crew to enhance efficiency, the issue persisted. 

Vehicle faults also contributed to the failure of collections on some occasions.

The investigation concluded that the council's delay in taking action after the audit and failure to ensure waste collection in case of vehicle issues amounted to faults. 

This caused Mr X to endure prolonged periods of missed bin collections and the accompanying distress. 

The Ombudsman's findings also revealed that the issue extended beyond Mr X, with six other roads regularly affected by missed collections. 

In light of these findings, the Ombudsman expects the Council to not only resolve Mr X's individual case but also rectify its waste collection system to prevent future instances of this nature.