London Borough of Richmond upon Thames (26 004 999)
Category : Transport and highways > Parking and other penalties
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 12 Jul 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about a parking Penalty Charge Notice because Mr X has already used his right to appeal to the London Tribunals.
The complaint
- Mr X complains the Council incorrectly issued him with a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) even though a temporary grace period was in place. He further complains that a Council officer lied to him and that the officer's behaviour was then excused by the Council. Mr X says this has caused him distress, wasted his time and may cost him money.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- We cannot investigate a complaint if someone has appealed to a tribunal about the same matter. We also cannot investigate a complaint if in doing so we would overlap with the role of a tribunal to decide something which has been or could have been referred to it to resolve using its own powers. (Local Government Act 1974, section 26(6)(a), as amended)
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Mr X has already used his right to start an appeal to the London Tribunals to dispute the PCN. The Tribunal is independent of the Council. It has the expertise to decide if the parking restriction was properly implemented and the power to quash the PCN if it sees fit.
- Mr X says he should have received a warning notice rather than a PCN because the traffic measures were newly introduced and a grace period for motorists was in place. So, he also complains about the Council’s response to his representations and complaints.
- The law sets out how a motorist may challenge a PCN and Mr X has used or is using that procedure. There is no scope for a separate complaint, but Mr X can put his concerns before the parking adjudicator appointed by London Tribunals.
Final decision
- We cannot investigate Mr X’s complaint because he has already used his appeal right and it would be disproportionate to investigate the Council’s complaint handling on its own.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman