Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about Transport for London’s handling of his representations against a penalty charge notice. This is because Transport for London has cancelled the penalty charge notice and refunded Mr X’s payment and it is unlikely we could achieve anything more for him.

The complaint

1. Mr X complains Transport for London (TfL) failed to properly consider his arguments of mitigation against a penalty charge notice (PCN). He appealed against the PCN to London Tribunals but London Tribunals could not consider his arguments as they did not fall under one of the statutory grounds of appeal.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. In this statement, I have used the word fault to refer to these. We provide a free service but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start or continue with an investigation if we are satisfied with the actions an organisation has taken or proposes to take. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(7), as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered information provided by Mr X and the Authority.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. TfL confirms it agreed to cancel the PCN as a gesture of goodwill and refunded Mr X’s payment in August 2025. This provides a suitable outcome for the complaint and it is unlikely investigation would achieve anything more.

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Final decision

6. We will not investigate this complaint because it is unlikely we could achieve any worthwhile outcome for Mr X.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman