London Borough of Croydon (25 018 354)
Category : Transport and highways > Parking and other penalties
Decision : Upheld
Decision date : 02 Feb 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s escalation of a penalty charge notice. This is because the Council has accepted it was at fault and taken suitable steps to remedy the injustice caused to Mrs X.
The complaint
- Mrs X complains the Council increased the amount of a penalty charge notice (PCN) despite her paying the charge in full before the payment deadline. She says the Council’s actions caused her distress and anxiety.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- 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)
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by Mrs X and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- The Council has explained that when it issued Mrs X the PCN, two PCNs were issued instead of one. Mrs X’s payment closed the first case but the duplicate PCN remained outstanding. The Council therefore issued a charge certificate requesting £240, which it accepts was an error.
- The Council has now cancelled the duplicate PCN and has offered to apologise to Mrs X and pay her £100 for her distress and anxiety. This provides a suitable remedy for Mrs X and I do not consider further investigation would add significantly to this offer. I have therefore decided we will not investigate the complaint further.
- The Council should now contact Mrs X directly with its apology and to request details for the payment of £100. It should complete the agreed remedy within four weeks of today’s date.
Final decision
- We will not investigate this complaint. This is because the Council’s agreement to cancel the PCN, apologise to Mrs X and pay her £100 provides a suitable remedy for the injustice she claims.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman