Summary: We will not investigate this complaint that Miss X was incorrectly issued with parking penalty charge notices as there is insufficient remaining injustice caused to her personally from this matter.

The complaint

1. Miss X complains the Council failed to send reminders to her and other residents to renew their parking permits. Miss X says as a result she was issued with three parking penalty charge notices (PCNs) which she had to challenge before the Council acknowledged a problem with its automated reminder system. Miss X says she was caused significant stress, frustration and loss of trust. Miss X also complains about the injustice of other residents affected and is concerned the Council has not dealt with all the cases involved consistently.

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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 fault has not caused significant injustice to the person who complained (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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How I considered this complaint

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

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My assessment

5. I recognise Miss X remains unhappy about what took place in her own case and that she was put to some time and trouble in challenging the PCNs issued to her, but these have been cancelled and I do not consider any remaining injustice is significant enough to justify our further involvement.
6. I appreciate Miss X’s broader concerns and the effort she has put into pursuing the matter. However, it was Miss X’s own choice to do this so any alleged Council fault cannot be said to have directly caused this. In respect of the impact on other residents, the Council, in its November 2025 complaint response to Miss X, set out the steps it was to take to address this including efforts to try to identify all those affected and to ensure those dealing with PCN appeals take account of the system issue when assessing challenges. As such, I do not consider it would be in the public interest for us to investigate further. If other individuals remain dissatisfied, it is open to them to complain to the Council and then to us and/or to use their statutory right of appeal to challenge a PCN.

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Final decision

7. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because any remaining injustice caused to her is not sufficient to warrant our further involvement. I do not consider there are public interest grounds to investigate the broader impact of the system fault given the steps the Council is taking to address the matter.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman