I've just received a letter from a neighbouring council 15 months after an alleged offence, where I've tried to contact them many times by post, email and phone, outlining the measures they intend to take to recover the fine they've levied. In spite of having followed their "process" for challenging/appealing, I've had no opportunity to talk to anyone, formally or informally, or to make any representation in person.
I'd appreciate any views on my odds of winning this if I let them go to court, as it looks like they're just ratcheting up the fines in the hope that I'll pay to make them stop, and like they're not going to give me any chance to explain anyway.
The timeline is as follows:
- The alleged offence took place on 25/01/2017.
- A PCN (front/back) was issued 9 days later by the London Borough of Ealing Council on 03/02/2017 and received 12 days after the contravention date on 06/02/2017. I tried to contact parking services by phone repeatedly on that date and following days without success (no answer or only payment options offered).
- As advised on the back of the PCN, I sent an email challenge on 10/02/2017 (here), seven days after the PCN issue date. An automatic acknowledgement was received immediately (here). Note that the acknowledgement says that if correspondence is received in the discount period (!) they will review the case at the "discount amount" regardless of how long it takes them to respond.
- I expected the Council to "serve a notice on the person making the representation of their decision as to whether they accept that the ground in question has been established", and to have to pay zero if it was (or to be asked to pay £65 if they rejected the challenge). I heard nothing.
- On 03/04/2017 a Charge Certificate was issued (front/back). I received this on 05/04/2017. Again I tried to contact parking services repeatedly without success (no answer or only payment options offered), and so emailed again (here) to ask what was going on and again got an automated acknowledgement (here).
- At the end of that week I sent photocopies of all notices received and printouts of the emails exchanged along with a covering letter (here). I never received any acknowledgement of receipt or any reply.
- On 09/04/2018 - 15 months after the alleged offence, and after a gap of nearly a year since I last tried to contact them, I got a letter from the Council (front/back) to say I now owed £195 and outlining the steps they intended to take to recover this.
This post has been edited by bazinga: Mon, 16 Apr 2018 - 15:05