Dear Mr Mustard

There have been other parking issues for us before, but the current one is that Barnet parking didn't send their usual reminder to renew residents' parking, so both mine and my husband's lapsed unbeknown to us. Yesterday we found my car issued with a parking penalty, although my husband's, parked next to mine, was not.

Immediately, I telephoned parking, where a young lady told me that '...oh no, there's a problem with our system, so we haven't been sending reminders. You can renew now and I'll give you a dispensation number for two weeks'. I said I hoped our new permits would arrive before that.

We duly put our dispensation notices - typed by me in a large font - in the windscreens of the cars at about 1.30 pm. On returning at about 3.30 pm we found that my car had again been issued with a parking penalty. The time on the notice was 'Observed between 15.23 and 15.26'

My dispensation notice was clearly displayed on the front window ledge right next to the out of date permit. We left the parking penalty on the window, lest I receive another spurious one.

We think not sending reminders is another dastardly plot by Barnet parking in order to squeeze yet more money out of Barnet residents and it's not fair. We shall be challenging the second penalty!

Your opinion would be greatly valued, Mr Mustard.

Alice

 

Dear Alice,

There is an avalanche of PCN at the moment due to permit renewal being passed onto Capita in mid-May and they seem to have been struggling with this simple task. Someone else told me the reason renewals are so hard is because the data was not migrated from the old system to the Capita one - we seem to be back in the dark ages. In fact, pen and paper would be more efficient.

The reason you got your PCN is because what people are often not told is that the dispensation does not start until the day after issue because in these days of instant communications, bluetooth, mobile phone networks, etc it is beyond the wit, or the will, of the council to ensure their records are accurate. You didn't want a dispensation that started on the following day but the same day.

Luckily, the traffic warden was a bit slack in not also ticketing your husband's car.

The council argument, despite the custom and practice of sending reminders for more than 25 years is that it is your responsibility to renew not theirs to remind you to renew, but that is a weak argument in my opinion. What it would argue at PATAS (the home of the independent adjudicator, which you go to if the council turn you down) is that you had a reasonable expectation of being sent a reminder and it would exhibit the reminders from previous years. That might be enough to get your PCN cancelled by the adjudicator.

You persisted with your challenge, based upon advice from me, and now you tell me that the PCN has now been cancelled as common sense prevailed. That is good to hear. A pity I don't hear it more often.

Yours sincerely,

Mr Mustard

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