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Birmingham bins not returned because of 'council squabble'

PA Media A communal bin - generic imagePA Media
Collection crews left the communal bins blocking a footpath and bus stop (generic image)

"Bickering bin workers" in Birmingham left residents having to return their heavy communal bins to the right place, a watchdog has found.

Until summer 2020, residents in a block of flats had their bins emptied and returned to a storage area.

Since then, a row between council departments meant they had been left blocking footpaths and bus stops among other locations, the local government ombudsman said.

Birmingham City Council has apologised.

The issue was raised by a resident who complained to the city council that she had been forced to return the large bins even in snow and ice, to prevent them being a hazard.

Birmingham City Council said it was caused by a disagreement between its waste management and housing teams over who was responsible for returning the bins.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman said it rarely dealt with such disputes, but the council's failure to resolve the issue left it "with little choice".

Getty Images Birmingham City CouncilGetty Images
Birmingham City Council apologised and paid the complainant £150

Michael King, from the watchdog, said: "I am disappointed that a squabble between departments has led to these consequences for residents, and the council has not yet sought to solve the issue despite it having gone on for more than a year.

"It belatedly confirmed it accepted our recommendations but in the interim failed to address the problem, leaving the resident continuing to struggle.

"I would urge the council to take a long look at its waste service and the way it handles complaints to identify just why I am receiving and upholding such a significant number, and take steps to ensure this is improved."

The council agreed to apologise to the complainant and pay her £150.

A Birmingham City Council spokesperson said: "We apologise that the standard of service was not as it should have been in this particular situation."

It said it was complying fully with the recommendations and would learn from the case to improve services.

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