London Borough of Haringey (26 003 859)
Category : Transport and highways > Parking and other penalties
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 26 May 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about a Parking Charge Notice. This is because Parking Charge Notices are not an administrative function of the Council.
The complaint
- Mr X complained that the Council incorrectly issued a Parking Charge Notice (PCN).
- Mr X said it has caused him stress and increasing costs.
- Mr X wants the Council to address the issue and apologise.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
- We cannot investigate complaints about actions which are not the administrative function of a council. (Local Government Act 1974, section 26(1) as amended).
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- A private company may issue a PCN on private land where a car or driver does not follow the terms and conditions of parking.
- Mr X parked on private land and received a PCN. He made appeals to the Council. The private company that issued the PCN increased their costs when no payment was made.
- The private company has an appeal process, the Council is not involved with this.
- We will not investigate this complaint as the PCN was not issued by the Council so it holds no administrative function relating to Mr X’s PCN.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman