Can Councils keep getting away with it?

I am converting offices into housing largely for vulnerable adults who have fallen on hard times temporarily and show they want to get back on their feet. It is not a charity and I am not a developer. In fact I have recently been made redundant from my job and need to tighten my belt and pay for services I get...which brings me to the local council ! I have been trying for months to get them to collect waste from the property which is now residential. They were quick to demand backdated council tax from before the renovations were complete....but for 4 months have still failed to implement effective waste collection. One council employee has been trying to get the contractors and council liaison to communicate, but 4 months of stress on both sides. The council say its a tax on property and even thought he monies are used for waste collection, they are not obliged to actually collect the waste! How can they get away with this when they should be upholding better values? if Tesco made me pay for my online groceries, whether I paid for delivery or got free delivery, and said that they weren't obliged to deliver them-would they get away with it?