Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a parking permit because we are satisfied with the actions already taken by the Council.

The complaint

1. Miss Y complained the Council failed to update her parking permit when she changed her car, despite her request to do so. Miss Y says this led to her receiving approximately ten Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), causing her worry and inconvenience. Miss Y is also unhappy with how the Council dealt with her complaint, including a delay in its response.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
3. 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)
4. 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:

• we could not add to any previous investigation by the organisation, or
• further investigation would not lead to a different outcome, or
• there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation.

(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

5. It is not a good use of public resources to investigate complaints about complaint procedures, if we are unable to deal with the substantive issue.

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How I considered this complaint

6. I considered information Miss Y provided and the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

7. Miss Y initially complained to the Council after she had, unsuccessfully, tried to update her parking permit with the Council, having changed her vehicle. Miss Y says she then received several PCNs from the Council. Miss Y then complained to the Council.
8. The Council responded to Miss Y’s complaint initially in March 2025. The Council apologised for the delay in updating Miss Y’s permit details and sent her a voucher for the value of £60. It also agreed to cancel the PCNs incurred and has improved its processes to prevent recurrence of the issues. This was confirmed in the Council’s final response to the complaint, issued in August. Miss Y was dissatisfied with this response and so approached us and is seeking compensation.
9. As the Council has properly considered and investigated the complaint it is unlikely the Ombudsman would be able to add to the original investigation. Further, the Council has offered a proportionate and appropriate remedy for the injustice caused by its fault. Consequently, it is unlikely further consideration of this complaint would lead to a different outcome and as the Council has apologised to Miss Y, offered her a voucher to the value of £60 and has improved its processes we are satisfied with the actions the Council has taken and will not investigate this complaint.
10. As we are not investigating the substantive matter, it is not a good use of public resources to investigate how the Council dealt with Miss Y’s complaint and we will not investigate this.

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Final decision

11. We will not investigate Miss Y’s complaint because we are satisfied with the actions already taken by the Council.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman