London Borough of Havering (26 000 406)
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 a Penalty Charge Notice for an alleged parking contravention. This is because Mr X has used the statutory representation and appeals procedure.
The complaint
- Mr X complains the Council issued him with a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN). He says he was unloading goods at a charity shop. He also says the Council did not clearly explain he could lose the reduced payment option if he appealed.
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 Mr X, the Council, and the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- The Council issued Mr X with a PCN in January 2026. He says he was unloading donated goods at a charity shop. He made representations to the Council, but it rejected them. The Council issued a Notice to Owner and Charge certificate.
- We will not investigate this complaint because Mr X has already used the representations and appeals procedure.
- Mr X also says the Council did not clearly explain he could lose the reduced payment option if he appealed. It is not proportionate for us to investigate these ancillary matters if we are not investigating the substantive issue.
Final decision
- We will not investigate this complaint because Mr X has already used the representations and appeals procedure.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman