The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman's recent report, Lifting the lid on bin complaints, has reignited the debate around outsourced services and whether local government gets value for money from such contracts.

To my mind what the report highlights is the disconnect that can sometimes take place between the council, the contractor and the service user when a contract is outsourced. Just because a service is outsourced doesn't mean the public don't think the council isn't responsible for it or should have democratic oversight of the service. When they complain they expect their issues to be addressed by the council and blame them if there is a slow response, rather than the contractor.