King's Lynn & West Norfolk Council (25 012 166)
Category : Transport and highways > Parking and other penalties
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 18 Dec 2025
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Penalty Charge Notices because there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating.
The complaint
- Mr Y complained the Council rejected his representations against two Penalty Charge Notices before he was contacted by enforcement agents who wanted him to pay a total of £470. Mr Y feels this was unjustified because he disagrees with the PCNs being issued.
- Mr Y says the issue has caused him considerable stress and he struggled financially to pay the £470 and is looking for his money back.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- 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 there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information Mr Y provided and the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Mr Y disputes the validity of the PCNs the Council has issued. He has now paid the penalties, despite his disagreement with it, instead of using his right to appeal it to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal. If Mr Y has felt that the PCNs were not valid in any way, it is for him as the driver and recipient of the PCNs to challenge this.
- In deciding not to appeal and paying the penalty, Mr Y has legally accepted his liability for the penalties and the validity of the PCNs. As he has accepted their validity, it is unlikely we would now find fault in the Council’s issuing or enforcement of the PCNs. We will not investigate.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mr Y’s complaint because there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman