How to go about appealing against a parking fine

I was parked correctly and I do not think I should have to pay this ticket. What should I do?

The first thing which you need to do is check the type of parking ticket you have.

There are three different types, a fixed penalty notice, a parking charge notice and in this case a penalty charge notice.

A penalty charge notice is issued on public land such as the high street.

If you are unsure, check the letter or notice which will indicate who it is from.

Your parking ticket or letter will say if it’s from the council, the police, or a parking company.

If you wish to appeal, you should not pay the charge as doing so can be seen as admitting that the charge or ticket is correct.

You can call whoever issued the ticket to confirm with them that you should not pay prior to your appeal if you are concerned about the consequences of not paying.

You should write to the issuer within 14 days and make an informal appeal raising why you object to the notice.

When you do this include any evidence which you have as this will strengthen your appeal making it more likely to succeed.

This could take the form of photographs of your car, a picture of the valid ticket and where the ticket was displayed at the time.

You should also include the following to assist with identifying your case:

l 1. The date the ticket was issued;

l 2. Your vehicle registration number;

l 3. The penalty notice number;

l 4. Your address.

Do not send the original in case it is lost in the post, but a copy should be acceptable. Consider sending by recorded delivery.

If your informal appeal is rejected, you can then submit a formal appeal. You will receive a letter and form.

Whilst the rejection may sound final you still have 28 days to submit a formal appeal.

If your formal appeal is rejected, you will receive a notice of rejection. You can then appeal to an independent tribunal.

You do not have to attend at the tribunal you can submit you reason and any evidence in writing along with any photograph which you wish to rely on.

If this appeal is also rejected you should pay the penalty charge notice as failure to do so could result in you being taken to court, which could result in court costs and also affect your credit rating.