How Can I Challenge A Leatherhead PCN?

This blog post addressed the question “How Can I Challenge A Leatherhead PCN?” You need to have a sharp memory for recalling minute details relating to the circumstances leading to your traffic violation and end up constructing a PCN challenge which clearly puts forward your case. The events you witnessed or experienced must be explained by using photographs, video footage or medical certificates (to prove mitigating circumstances such as a health emergency).

How Can I Challenge A Leatherhead PCN?

As Mole Valley District Council is responsible for enforcing Parking, Bus Lane, and Moving Traffic contraventions at locations across Leatherhead Urban District Council, you need to visit the Mole Valley District Council website or send a written formal representation on their Parking Services address to challenge your Leatherhead PCN. The majority of the 85,000 people living in Mole Valley District Council reside in the towns of Dorking and Leatherhead. The Mole Valley District Council will also decide the result of your PCN challenge and will either choose to withdraw your PCN or send you a Notice of Rejection of Representations.

In order to challenge a Parking PCN you can mention mitigating circumstances such as a serious health condition to explain why you left your vehicle parked at the location for an extended period of time. Normally you have to end up paying a Parking PCN issued for a lower contravention but if you have authentic reasons breaching the parking zone restriction and exceeding the time limit mentioned on your pay and display ticket (or parking permit) the council can accept your formal representation. The decision of the Mole Valley District Council depends on the quality of your evidence and could be influenced strongly by a video recording or collection of photographs from the traffic violation scene.

As a driver, It is essential for you to preserve daily records of evidence relating to your actions at each and every traffic sign for challenging a Bus Lane and Moving Traffic PCN. Similarly it is essential for you to preserve evidence of your actions (such as pay and display tickets) every time you enter a parking pay or controlled parking zone. 

Most of this evidence can easily be saved in the form of video footage recorded by using a digital camera operated by a passenger in your vehicle. Other circumstantial evidence such as medical certificates or paid parking permits can also be useful to prove specific cases.

In many cases, PCNs are not enforceable and you may be able to win your case and avoid having to pay your fine.

You could begin the process by speaking to an online solicitor for as little as £5. 

What is a Penalty Charge Notice?

A Penalty Charge Notice is a monetary penalty issued to drivers or motorists for committing certain traffic contraventions including violating Parking, Bus Lane, and Moving Traffic restrictions. A PCN is issued for failing to follow Parking zone, bus lane enforcement, and moving traffic restrictions mentioned in the Road Traffic Act 1984 and the Traffic Management Act 2004.

A penalty charge notice can be handed to you by a Civil Enforcement Officer or dispatched to your (DVLA) residential address by post. Traffic contraventions are observed by CCTV cameras and Civil Enforcement Officers before a violation is detected and the vehicle is charged with a PCN.

A PCN might also be issued for failing to pay road charges on time. You have 28 days to decide how and if you would like to challenge your Penalty Charge Notice. After 28 days if you have neither paid nor challenged your PCN, you will be sent a charge certificate from the Traffic Penalty Tribunal.

If you don’t challenge a PCN, you should pay the fine within 28 days, otherwise, its amount will increase by 50%. A £70 PCN will be worth £105 if you pay it in the 14 days after receiving your charge certificate.

What is the procedure for appealing against a Leatherhead PCN?

As Mole Valley District Council is responsible for enforcing Parking, Bus Lane, and Moving Traffic contraventions at locations across Leatherhead Urban District Council, you need to visit the Mole Valley District website or send a written formal representation on their Parking Services address to challenge your Leatherhead PCN. The Mole Valley District Council will also decide the result of your PCN challenge and will either choose to withdraw your PCN or send you a Notice of Rejection of Representations.

You can submit a formal representation to your Leatherhead PCN by writing a letter addressed to the Mole Valley District Council or by filling in the online formal representation form on the official website..

You need to brainstorm reasons to challenge a Leatherhead PCN from the day of the incident and list them down in word processing software or on paper. It is essential to have some authentic evidence to attach with your PCN appeal in the form of video footage of the traffic violation, medical certificates explaining your mitigating circumstances, or pay and display tickets. 

The evidence must be matched with the grounds for your appeal before describing the incident from your point of view. Your rough formal representation can be edited for clarity multiple times before it is ready to attach to your online appeal to the Mole Valley District Council. You need to visit the Mole Valley District Council website to submit a formal representation to your PCN. On this webpage, you have to click on “Appeal A PCN”.

After this you just need to enter your PCN number and Vehicle Registration Number  to view your PCN details before filling in the online appeals form. 

It is essential to upload authentic evidence material with your PCN challenge to describe your mitigating circumstances to the Mole Valley District Council and for explaining your point of view of the events which took place at the traffic violation scene. If you made a video clip of your traffic contravention, you should save snapshots from it by using a video player or video editing software. Most video players such as VLC player allow you to slow down your video frame by frame and thus take ( a collection of) snapshots to attach with your Leatherhead  PCN challenge.The text of your appeal must state the relevant contravention code on your PCN and explain how you attempted to avoid the error (supported by photos or video footage).

Once you have proofread your appeal to eliminate any reasons for your challenge which might convey a disregard for traffic contravention codes enforced in Leatherhead Urban District Council (by mixing up the contraventions) or reasons which involve forgetfulness to justify your actions, you can submit the formal representation.

Another way to send in your Leatherhead PCN challenge is by mail. You can write down a formal representation on the Notice to Owner document and attach evidence documents or photographs to the form using a stapler or paper clip. Your letter should mention your PCN number, date of issue of the PCN, your vehicle registration number, and personal details. 

You should view evidence relating to your Leatherhead PCN online before writing down your appeal, so that you end up focusing on refuting the contents of the CCTV video or photographs or your traffic violation. Your PCN appeals form and all accompanying evidence documents (enclosed in an envelope) need to be sent to:

MVDC,

Pippbrook,

Dorking,

Surrey,

RH4 1SJ

The Mole Valley District Council will respond to your Leatherhead PCN appeal and your PCN will be cancelled or you will be sent a Notice of Rejection or Representations, which needs to be received promptly in order to contest the notice with the Traffic Penalty Tribunal.

How Can I Pay a PCN in Leatherhead Urban District Council?

You can pay a PCN in Leatherhead Urban District Council on the Mole Valley Council’s online payments page or by calling on the Mole Valley District Council’s automated payments hotline.

If you prefer to make your PCN fine payment online, you can visit the Mole Valley District Council website. After opening this webpage you need to click on “Pay a PCN Online” . In the window which opens up you can enter your PCN number and vehicle registration number, your residential address, email address and surname. In the type of PCN option, you have to select “Parking fine”. Once all these details have been correctly entered, the “Next” button will be selectable for you to login to the Mole Valley PCN payments account. Your PCN details will be displayed and you can also view CCTV evidence relating to your case before paying your PCN

For paying your PCN you will be asked for your payment card details. The Mole Valley District Council accepts Mastercard, Visa Card, Maestro Card and Visa Electron card for PCN fine payments. Diners card and American Express card are not accepted for making PCN payments. Once you have entered the credit or debit card information you can proceed to paying your fine. It must be noted that paying your Leatherhead PCN eliminates any possibility for challenging the Penalty Charge Notice.

Your Leatherhead PCN can also be paid by calling on the Mole Valley District Council’s telephone payments service. You have to dial 0300 123 1064 and enter your PCN number by using a * sign for the letters in the code. After this you will have to enter your payment card details. This automated payments service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You should wait to receive a confirmation code before ending your call.

How much is the PCN fine for each of the 3 kinds of PCNs served in the Leatherhead Urban District Council?

A Parking PCN in the Leatherhead Urban District Council is served for violating higher or lower level parking restrictions. You have to pay £70 for committing a higher level parking contravention and £50 for a lower level parking contravention. If you pay the parking fine within 14 days, you will just be paying £35 or £25 as a 50% discount is applicable to your payment.

For failing to comply with a bus lane contravention code or a moving traffic restriction in the Leatherhead Urban District Council, you will be charged a £70 Penalty Charge Notice. The 50% early payment discount reduces both these types of PCN fines to £35 if a bus lane PCN is paid within 21 days and a moving traffic PCN is paid within 14 days.

What will happen if I don’t pay my Leatherhead PCN within the 28-day limit?

You should not ignore traffic contraventions or the Penalty Charge Notices resulting from them or cultivate a careless attitude towards driving in the Leatherhead Urban District Council. As per your driving license rules, you are bound to abide by Parking, Bus Lane, and Moving Traffic contravention codes in the Leatherhead Urban District Council.

If you neither pay your Leatherhead PCN within 28 days nor decide to appeal against it, you will be sent a charge certificate from the Traffic Penalty Tribunal. The charge certificate increases your PCN fine by 50%, which means you will be paying £105 (or £75) now. You should pay the charge certificate within 14 days as it cannot be appealed and ignoring the charge certificate may result in the filing of a court order (for recovery of debts) against you by the Mole Valley District Council.

You will be sent a “Notice of Debt Registration” and a witness certificate from the Traffic Penalty Tribunal if you don’t pay the charge certificate amount within 14 days. The unpaid amount will be treated as a debt with the Traffic Enforcement Centre at the Northampton County Court.

The court order for debt recovery enforces that the charge certificate amount must be paid in full within 21 days the county court will have to use additional powers to recover the money from your possession which means employing Enforcement Agents to (contact you or) visit your personal premises.

Can I Dispute A Leatherhead PCN with the Traffic Penalty Tribunal if the Council dismisses my appeal?

Yes, you can dispute the decision of the Mole Valley District Council in your “Notice of Rejection of Representations” with the Traffic Penalty Tribunal. The Traffic Penalty Tribunal website requires you to enter details given on your Notice of Rejection of Representations, after opening this webpage

You can watch this instructional video here to learn about your challenge process. The video clearly explains how to use the online service offered by the Traffic Penalty Tribunal. On the Traffic Penalty Tribunal webpage, you will first have to select the type of PCN you were served by the Mole Valley District Council (shown on the bottom part of the page).

After clicking on your specific type of Penalty Charge Notice, you should select “England” (Outside London). In the window which opens up, you should click on the orange box which reads “If you don’t agree with the PCN, you can make representations against it”.

After viewing the instructions on the following page, you need to click on “Start your appeal here” at the bottom of the webpage You will then be required to enter your Vehicle Registration Number, the reference number from the “Notice of Rejection” letter from the Mole Valley District Council, and your PCN number for which the appeal was rejected on this page.

You can use the online service to challenge multiple “Notices of Rejection” simultaneously. You will require a valid email address to create an account on the Traffic Penalty Tribunal website. You have to upload a copy of your “Notice of Rejection of Representations” letter to your application by using the Traffic Penalty Tribunal’s online portal.

You can upload evidence such as video clips of your traffic violation scenes (taken from inside your vehicle), medical certificates from a certified General Practitioner, maps of the area showing the exact distance your vehicle travelled inside a no-entry zone, and scanned copies of “pay and display” tickets. You should construct a strong appeals case to communicate your mitigating circumstances or to deliver your assertion that the traffic violation never occurred.

The Traffic Penalty Tribunal should be able to ascertain the legitimacy of your situation by viewing evidence material uploaded to the PCN appeals system.

Your appeal of the “Notice of Rejection of Representations” should be submitted to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal within 28 days of receiving your Notification of Rejection from the Mole Valley District Council. You must avail yourself of this chance of a free and independent hearing of your case. 

You will be able to contact the Traffic Penalty Tribunal adjudicator during the formulation of your appeal. The result of your appeal will be communicated to you within 14-28 days of submitting your representation. If the adjudicator decides the case in your favour, the PCN will be cancelled by the Mole Valley District Council.

Conclusion

This blog post addressed the question “How Can I Challenge A Leatherhead PCN?” You must be focused on the events of a traffic violation scene in order to correctly recall the situation later and know which evidence needs to be used for supporting your formal representation. You should not be disheartened if a well-formulated appeal is rejected by the Mole Valley District Council as you can dispute the “Notice of Rejection” at the Traffic Penalty Tribunal by creating another appeal.