No Parking

In February I sent a question in to Full Council concerning how many parking tickets had been cancelled on appeal in the Borough since the decimalisation of parking. Due to the 20 minute rule the question was not put and it was to be answered as if it were a Freedom of Information request. I correspondingly received my reply, but it was concerning another question put at a previous meeting.

After reading today’s Times, I think I may know why the Council may be “reluctant” to answer the question. 60% of parking ticket appeals are successful, and Caroline Sheppard, the Chief Adjudicator of the Traffic Penalty Tribunal, has today introduced measures which will make it even easier to appeal against a fine – and so she should. 8 million tickets are issued every year in this country, giving rise to £1 billion in revenue. No wonder Councils are keen to see them handed out like confetti. They have also secured the permission to issue tickets via the post. What happens if the offender doesn’t receive them in time and how will this impact on the work needed to present the evidence that the ticket should not have been issued in the first place?

The appeals procedure is now even more important. Below are a couple of website address which explain how you can go about it.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/transport/article3649188.ece
http://www.patrol-uk.info/site/index.php
http://www.trafficpenaltytribunal.gov.uk/site/custom_scripts/Videos/videos.html