London Borough of Tower Hamlets (25 019 254)
Category : Transport and highways > Parking and other penalties
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 25 May 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about delays in issuing a parking permit. The injustice claimed is not significant enough to warrant an investigation, and an investigation is unlikely to lead to a different outcome.
The complaint
- Ms X complains the Council has delayed issuing her a parking permit. She says she had had to write multiple emails, causing her stress. She wants the Council to address her concerns.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- 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 the complainant and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- The Council intended to launch a parking permit scheme and invited residents to apply for permits. Ms X applied for a permit and sent supporting documents as part of the application. The Council then delayed launching the scheme and needed Ms X to resubmit her documents online.
- Our role is to consider complaints where the person bringing the complaint has suffered significant personal injustice as a direct result of the actions or inactions of the organisation. This means we will normally only investigate a complaint where the complainant has suffered serious loss, harm, or distress as a direct result of faults or failures. We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint because there is not enough evidence Ms X has suffered a significant injustice from the delay or having to resubmit her documents.
- The Council has apologised to Ms X for the delays and offered Ms X a symbolic payment as remedy. The Council has now issued her permit, assigned parking bays for Ms X and told her it would not penalise her while she is waiting for her permit to arrive. An investigation is unlikely to lead to a different outcome.
Final decision
- We will not investigate this complaint because the injustice claimed is not significant enough to warrant investigation, and an investigation would be unlikely to lead to a different outcome.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman