London Borough of Croydon (25 025 791)
Category : Transport and highways > Parking and other penalties
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 14 May 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the enforcement of two Penalty Charge Notices. Mr X has applied to the Traffic Enforcement Centre and we cannot investigate.
The complaint
- Mr X says the Council failed to follow the correct procedure for a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) and wrongly progressed recovery action because the Council had used an incorrect address. The enforcement agent seized his car, and he was forced to pay the agent’s fees. This caused him distress and anxiety.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes limits on what we can investigate.
- London Tribunals considers parking and moving traffic offence appeals for London, and the Traffic Penalty Tribunal for the rest of England. The Traffic Enforcement Centre (TEC), part of the county court, considers applications to set the PCN process back where there has been procedural fault.
- We cannot investigate a complaint if someone has appealed to a tribunal or a government minister or started court action about the matter. (Local Government Act 1974, section 26(6), as amended).
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information from the complainant and the Council, and the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- The Council issued two PCNs to Mr X in 2025. It progressed to enforcement action as Mr X did not pay or appeal. The agent removed Mr X’s car and he paid the charge.
- Mr X then filed an out of time witness statement to the TEC which was allowed.
- The Council checked the address it obtained from the DVLA and found it was incomplete. The Council recalled the account and arranged a refund. It then reissued the PCNs to the correct address. Mr X paid both PCNs at the discounted rate. The Council has since refunded one PCN due to a court ruling which led to the removal of a the Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) scheme.
Final decision
- We cannot investigate this complaint because the complainant applied to the Traffic Enforcement Centre to regain his appeal rights.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman