Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s failure to take account of Miss X’s payment towards a penalty charge notice. This is because the Council has apologised to Miss X, removed the surcharges it applied and agreed to pay Miss X £100. This provides a suitable remedy for the injustice Miss X claims and it is therefore unlikely investigation would achieve anything more for her.

The complaint

1. Miss X complains the Council pursued her for payment of a penalty charge notice (PCN) despite her having paid the PCN in full.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. In this statement, I have used the word fault to refer to these. 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 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)

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered information provided by Miss X and the Council.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. The Council confirms it failed to allocate Miss X’s payment, made in January 2025, to the PCN. It therefore recorded the PCN as outstanding and escalated it in accordance with the statutory process.
6. When Miss X complained the Council insisted it had carried out the process properly and refused to cancel its further action. It also delayed in dealing with Miss X’s correspondence about the matter, causing her distress and uncertainty.
7. I have therefore invited the Council to agree a remedy for Miss X and, to its credit, it has agreed to my proposal.

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Agreed actions

8. The Council has already issued an apology for its delay and cancelled all surcharges and additional actions. It has also confirmed the PCN is paid in full and the case is closed.
9. It has further agreed to pay Miss X £100 for the distress and uncertainty caused by its handling of the case and its delay in properly investigating the matter and locating her payment. This provides a suitable remedy for Miss X and it is unlikely further investigation would achieve anything more for her.

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Final decision

10. We will not investigate this complaint. This is because the action already taken by the Council and the symbolic payment agreed as part of this assessment provides a suitable remedy for the injustice Miss X claims.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman