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Civil Parking Enforcement

Find out how to pay a parking fine or how to object to a parking fine.

Penalty Charge Notices

We enforce all parking restrictions within North Lincolnshire.

The parking tickets we issue are called Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs). They are issued in accordance with the Traffic Management Act 2004.

Our Civil Enforcement Officers are employed to issue PCNs on our streets or in car parks.

You can find more information about Civil Parking Enforcement below:

How to pay or object to a parking fine online

If you experience any difficulties when trying to pay a fine, please contact our Contact Centre customerservice@northlincs.gov.uk or call 01724 297000.

You can use the online form.

Debit Cards

Debit card payments can be made by phone on 01724 297000.

A penalty charge must be paid no later than the last day of the period of 28 days beginning with the date on which it was served.

If paid within 14 days, beginning with the date on which the notice was served, a discount of 50 per cent will apply.

Please note that civil enforcement officers cannot accept payments.

All appeals or objections must be made in writing. You can object to a parking fine (Penalty Charge Notice) online.

Or send a letter addressed to:

Parking Services
Church Square House
PO Box 42
Scunthorpe
North Lincolnshire
DN15 6XQ

There are three main stages:

  • Objection
  • Representation
  • Adjudication appeal

Objections

This is an informal stage of appeal which can be made when you first receive a parking fine (Penalty Charge Notice).

You should either complete an online form or put your objection in writing and send it to the address on the back of the Penalty Charge Notice.

Please note this form can only be used to make an objection. If you wish to make a representation you must wait until you receive a Notice to Owner form and complete this document.

Your case will be investigated and considered in-line with the council’s agreed procedures.

We will write to you with our decision.

If your objection is accepted the PCN will be cancelled. If it is rejected you have the option to pay, (if your objection was received within 14 days of the PCN issue date then you will be given a further 14 days to pay at the reduced rate of £25 or £35), or wait for the Notice to Owner to make a formal representation. The discounted rate will not apply if payment is made after this 14 day period or if you choose to make a formal representation.

Representations

This is a formal stage of appeal which can only be made after receiving a ‘Notice to Owner’. The ‘Notice to Owner’ is sent to the owner/keeper of the vehicle registered at DVLA (regardless of who was driving). You can opt to pay the charge at this stage or you may wish to make a representation.

Your case must be put in writing using the Notice to Owner form and will be considered by an independent officer at the council. We will respond to formal representations within 56 days from the date of receipt. Where we do not respond within 56 days your penalty charge notice will be cancelled.

Representations should be made on one of the statutory grounds below. If none of these grounds apply to your case you can still make representations to the council and ask them to take mitigating circumstances into account.

The contravention did not occur:

Tick the box on the form if the contravention described on the notice did not happen. For instance if the PCN is for overstaying in a pay and display area and a valid pay and display ticket was displayed, or if the PCN is issued for parking on a yellow line when you were in fact legally loading. When returning the form you should enclose such details as a valid pay and display ticket or delivery note.

I was not the owner/keeper of the vehicle at the time of the contravention:

Tick the box on the form if you did not own the vehicle when the PCN was issued. When returning the form please enclose details such as a receipt of sale/purchase or a copy of the DVLA registration form. You must give the name and address of the person who bought/sold the car and the date of the sale/purchase in the box provided.

The vehicle had been taken without my consent:

Tick the box on the form if the vehicle had been stolen at the time the PCN was issued. When returning the form you should enclose evidence such as a police crime report number or insurance claim.

We are a hire firm and have supplied the name of the hirer:

Tick the box on the form if you are a hire company and the hirer has signed a formal agreement accepting liability for penalty charges. You must complete the name and address of the hirer on page three and enclose a copy of the signed hire agreement.

The penalty charge exceeded the relevant amount:

Tick the box on the form if the PCN asked you to pay more than you are legally liable to.

There has been a procedural impropriety on behalf of the council:

Tick the box on the form if you believe the council has acted improperly or in breach of the regulations made under the Traffic Management Act 2004. Please supply details.

The traffic order was invalid:

Tick the box on the form if you believe that the parking restriction in question was invalid. This applies for instance, if the council had not followed the correct procedure for passing the Traffic Regulation Order. When returning the form you should enclose details.

The penalty charge has been paid, either in full or at discounted rate within the discount period:

Please supply details and supporting evidence such as receipt of payment.

If none of the grounds shown above apply, but you believe there are mitigating circumstances in your case, please supply details on the form.

See the Civil Parking Enforcement Policy [PDF, 374Kb] for circumstances when discretion may be applied.

We will treat each case on its own merit, taking into account individual circumstances. The council has produced a set of guidelines [PDF, 615Kb] for the consideration of challenges against penalty charge notices.

However, it is unlikely that the following reasons would be sufficient on their own to justify the cancellation of a PCN:

  • There was nowhere else to park
  • I thought I was parked legally but made a genuine mistake
  • I only stopped for a minute
  • This is the first time I’ve got a parking ticket/I won’t do it again/I’ll be more careful next time
  • There was no need for a yellow line at that location
  • I did not see the sign or lines
  • I was parked outside my own house
  • I went to get change for the pay and display machine and it took a long time
  • I got lost and so could not return in time to my vehicle
  • Other vehicles were also parked illegally and I did not see them get a ticket
  • I was doing work at the property and there was nowhere else to park
  • I had lent the car to a friend and they won’t pay the penalty
  • I was delayed in an important meeting
  • My ticket/permit/blue badge had fallen on the floor again/I had forgotten to display it again
  • I did not know I had to pay and display

If your representation is accepted you will be notified that the penalty charge notice has been cancelled. Otherwise you will be sent a formal Notice of Rejection and you then have the option to pay £50 or £70 or appeal to the independent adjudicator.

Adjudication appeal

If your representation is rejected by us you can appeal to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal (TPT).

The adjudicators are experienced lawyers who are independent of the enforcement authority and they will consider your case on one of the eight grounds listed above. Their decision will be final. Appeals cannot be made to the TPT unless the owner has first made a formal representation to the enforcement authority.

Appeals can be decided either by post or in person. A personal hearing centre is available in Scunthorpe and also at a number of other towns and cities throughout the country. There is no charge to the appellant for submitting an appeal to the TPT.

Further information about the TPT can be found on the Traffic Penalty Tribunal website. If you lose your appeal and do not pay or ignore the Notice to Owner you will be sent a charge certificate which increases the original charge by 50 per cent to either £75 or £105 depending on the contravention which had occurred. There are no rights of appeal at this stage of the process.

If you still do not pay, the charge will be registered as a debt at the Traffic Enforcement Centre at Northampton County Court and ultimately a warrant will be issued to bailiffs who will add their own costs to the penalty charge.

The council is a member of the Parking and Traffic Regulations Outside London (PATROL) Adjudication Joint Committee. The Joint Committee publishes an Annual Statement of Accounts which is subject to external audit. The arrangements and latest timetable can be found on the PATROL website.

Under the Traffic Management Act 2004, there are two different levels of parking fines.

This means that motorists causing the most disruption and danger to other road users through their illegal parking will receive higher fines than those committing less serious contraventions.

There will be a lower category charge of £50, discounted to £25 if paid within 14 days. This will be for offences such as overstaying in an off-street car park or being parked with your engine running.

For more serious contraventions, such as illegally parking in a space for disabled people or parking on a cycle path, there will be a higher charge of £70. This will be discounted to £35 if paid within 14 days.

For more information on different types of Penalty Charge Notice, view the council’s Civil Parking Enforcement Policy [PDF, 374Kb].

A parking fine must be either fixed to the vehicle or given to the person who appears to be in charge of that vehicle.

There are three exceptions when a parking fine may be issued by post. The exceptions are:

1.   When the civil enforcement officer has been prevented by threatening behaviour from serving the penalty charge notice by either fixing it to the vehicle or giving it to the person who appears to be in charge of the vehicle. This includes situations where the person who appears to be in charge of the vehicle is abusive or prevents service indirectly through intimidation, or directly through threats or actual physical force.

2.   When the civil enforcement officer has started to issue the penalty charge notice but did not have enough time to serve it before the vehicle was driven away and would otherwise have to cancel it.

3.   When the parking contravention has been detected on the basis of evidence from a camera.

North Lincolnshire Council’s Civil Parking Enforcement Policy [PDF, 374Kb] covers all aspects of parking enforcement across the whole region.

This policy is designed to outline the circumstances when enforcement action will take place and the reasoning behind this.

In general, enforcement activity will comply with the following principles:

  • Applying the legislation fairly and ensuring compliance with the law
  • Taking enforcement action where it is necessary
  • Being consistent in our approach
  • Being transparent about what enforcement action is taken and why

This policy covers both on and off-street enforcement activities. For ease of use, categories have been listed in alphabetical order.

The Blue Badge (Disabled Parking) Scheme provides a national arrangement of parking concessions for those people who have an enduring disability or health condition that means they have substantial difficulty walking. North Lincolnshire Council Blue Badge Support Team and Community Warden and Parking Service are responsible for the administration and enforcement of the scheme.

The council has a responsibility to keep the roads and footpaths safe to use. Illegally parked vehicles cost the council thousands of pounds a year in damaged paving and damaged grass verges. It also causes serious problems for blind, disabled and older people, and people with prams and pushchairs.

What action may be taken against pavement parking?

If there are waiting restrictions (yellow lines) on the highway adjacent to the pavement then a Penalty Notice may be issued by a civil enforcement officer. This is because a vehicle parked in this manner is in contravention of the traffic order. Waiting restrictions cover the highway from centre of highway to the back of the footpath.

If there are no waiting restrictions on the highway then a Fixed Penalty Notice may be issued by a traffic warden or police officer for obstruction.

Why is pavement parking a problem?

Pavements are constructed and provided for pedestrian use.

Vehicles parked on pavements are:

  • A hazard to pedestrians causing an obstruction. This may result in them having to step off the pavement onto the highway thus putting themselves in danger
  • A hazard by restricting the width of the pavement making it difficult for someone with a pushchair or wheelchair to pass safely. Again this person may have to step into the highway to avoid the obstruction
  • A hazard due to the damage caused by driving on and off the pavement

Contact

parking.services@northlincs.gov.uk

Customer Contact Centre

01724 297000