London Borough of Islington (25 025 150)
Category : Transport and highways > Parking and other penalties
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 17 May 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint that the Council issued him with four penalty charge notices incorrectly. An investigation by us is unlikely to achieve anything beyond the Council’s own investigation.
The complaint
- Mr X complained the Council issued him four Penalty Charge Notices (PCN) for a vehicle that is not his. Mr X said his car’s registration is one letter different to the car which the charges relate to.
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)
- We do not start or continue an investigation if we decide:
- we could not add to any previous investigation by the organisation, or
- further investigation would not lead to a different outcome, or
- there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation.
(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- In response to Mr X’s complaint the Council explained the reason he received the PCNs was because the registration for his vehicle and the offending vehicle’s registration is different by a single character. The positioning of a screw on the offending vehicle obscures the licence plate that makes it visually similar to Mr X’s vehicle registration.
- The Council cancelled the PCNs and explained it reminded officers to be diligent in checking any PCNs issued. It also told Mr X if he receives further PCNs to submit a one-like appeal stating the registration is incorrect.
- Although I acknowledge Mr X’s frustration, the Council has acted to address the matter proportionately. An investigation by the Ombudsman is unlikely to achieve anything further beyond what the Council has implemented. Therefore, we will not investigate.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because an investigation is unlikely to achieve any additional outcome.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman