Summary: We will not investigate X’s complaint about a Penalty Charge Notice. This is because part of X’s complaint is made late and recent matters have not caused X a significant enough injustice.

The complaint

1. X complains about how the Council dealt with a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) for a parking violation. X says that the Council sent documents to the wrong address in 2024, and in 2025 the Council delayed releasing their vehicle, despite enforcement being suspended. X says the Council also delayed cancelling the PCN following a successful appeal to the Traffic Enforcement Centre (TEC).

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We do not start or continue an investigation if we decide any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))
3. We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

4. I considered information provided by the complainant.
5. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

6. I will not investigate X’s complaints that the Council sent documents to the wrong address in 2024 or that it delayed releasing X’s vehicle in 2025. These matters happened more than 12 months ago, and I see no good reason why X could not have complained to us sooner.
7. I will not investigate X’s complaint that the Council delayed cancelling the PCN, following his successful appeal to the TEC. I do not consider that this alone has caused X a significant enough injustice to warrant investigation.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate X’s complaint because part of the complaint is made late and recent matters have not caused X a significant enough injustice.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman