London Borough of Harrow (25 020 184)
Category : Transport and highways > Parking and other penalties
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 19 Apr 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about how the Council have approached parking enforcement on his road. There is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.
The complaint
- Mr X complains the Council has given misleading information about how it will deal with vehicles that have multiple Penalty Charge Notices (PCN).
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 provided by Mr X and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Mr X says the Council made a social media post abut a new approach to towing vehicles that have received multiple PCNs. Mr X says the Council do not have a vehicle capable of towing vans and have not towed vehicles on his road which he believes meet the criteria.
- The Council contacted Mr X and clarified its approach to dealing with vehicles with multiple Penalty Charge Notices. The Council say it has introduced a tow vehicle to remove vehicles that have multiple Penalty Charge Notices, depending on the size and mass of the vehicle.
- The Councils enforcement practices are consistent with the applicable traffic management legislation and policy frameworks. There is no evidence to suggest the Council is not taking any action where a PCN has been issued. There is therefore insufficient evidence of fault in the Council’s approach to parking enforcement to warrant investigation.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mr X’s because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman