London Borough of Lambeth (25 026 370)
Category : Transport and highways > Parking and other penalties
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 20 May 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s actions in relation to the issuing of Miss X’s Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) because it is unlikely we would find evidence of fault. We will not investigate the PCNs themselves, as it is reasonable to expect Miss X to use the appeals process.
The complaint
- Miss X received three Penalty Charge Notices (PCN) in short succession and complains the Councils delay in processing them, caused the notices to arrive late. She says if the Council had notified her of the contravention sooner, she would have corrected her route and avoided receiving the third PCN.
- Miss X also says the Council’s lack of a phone line and slow responses made it difficult to resolve confusion about the fines and payments. She says this caused financial strain and distress, and she seeks a refund and improvements to the Council’s communication and notice times.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes limits on what we can investigate.
- We cannot normally investigate a complaint when someone has a right of appeal, reference or review to a tribunal about the same matter. However, we may decide to investigate if we consider it would be unreasonable to expect the person to use this right. If the person has already appealed we have no power to investigate. (Local Government Act 1974, section 26(6)(a), as amended)
- London Tribunals considers parking and moving traffic offence appeals for London, and the Traffic Penalty Tribunal for the rest of England.
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information from the complainant and the Council and the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My Assessment
- Miss X made representations to the Council in relation to the Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs). Which the Council considered and exercised its discretion by reducing the amount payable.
Final decision
- We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council issued Miss X’s Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) because further investigation is unlikely to find evidence of fault. We will not investigate the PCNs themselves as it is reasonable to expect Miss X to use the appeals process.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman