Manchester City Council (24 019 761)
Category : Transport and highways > Parking and other penalties
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 28 Feb 2025
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about being issued a penalty charge notice by the Council. There is no worthwhile outcome achievable by us investigating.
The complaint
- Ms X said the Council should not have issued a penalty charge notice (PCN), after she had paid a parking charge for car parking, but had paid for the wrong date by mistake. Ms X said she felt stressed by being pursued by the Council for the PCN and wanted the Council to revoke the charge.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We provide a free service but must use public money carefully. We do not start or continue an investigation if we decide there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Ms X said the Council were wrong to have pursued her for a PCN. She believed she was not liable for any charge, having paid for parking, but on the wrong date. Mrs X also said she appealed against the charge and was unsuccessful. Mrs X said the Council were still asking her for payment and from the information the Council sent us, it decided to cancel the PCN, saying it was doing so, as a goodwill gesture.
- We will not investigate here. Our role in relation to PCN’s is limited and we could not decide whether a person is liable for a PCN or instruct the Council to cancel a PCN. In any case, the Council have withdrawn the PCN, therefore there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by us investigating.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint because there is no worthwhile outcome achievable.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman