How Can I Challenge A Lincolnshire County PCN?
This blog serves to answer the question “How Can I Challenge A Lincolnshire County PCN?” The blog explains why a PCN challenge must never contain reasons justifying spontaneous actions that resulted in the traffic violation or indicate forgetfulness (which conveys a disregard for enforced contraventions). A thorough awareness of Parking, Bus Lane and Moving Traffic contravention codes is essential before making a formal representation to the Lincolnshire County Council.
How Can I Challenge A Lincolnshire County PCN?
Your Lincolnshire County PCN challenge should be able to communicate your intention of avoiding the traffic contravention and must demonstrate a prior awareness of the relevant contravention code enforced at the road junction or restricted parking zone. Mitigating circumstances which prevented you from averting the traffic violation should be backed by video evidence or medical certificates from a certified General Practitioner (in the case of a serious health condition).
The proof of the existence of your health condition (which can also be Covid-19) should be dated from a week or so before the incident and must include symptoms that impeded your ability to operate your vehicle properly. Other mitigating circumstances can relate to avoiding a collision with an oncoming vehicle on the road or to the sudden stalling of your vehicle ( which led you to stop on the road).
This appeal should not involve reasons which display a lack of urgency or seriousness to avoid committing a certain traffic contravention. A lack of knowledge about the Parking, Bus Lane, or Moving Traffic contraventions enforced in Lincolnshire County council will put your case in serious jeopardy as any such grounds for a PCN challenge are not entertained by the council.
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 fine or monetary penalty for driving violations. A PCN can be issued in response to any traffic contravention such as a parking contravention, a moving traffic contravention, or a bus lane violation.
A PCN may be issued by a Civil Enforcement Officer or by CCTV. You will be given 28 days to respond to a PCN. If you don’t pay the PCN within 28 days you will be issued a charge certificate.
A charge certificate will increase the PCN penalty amount by 50% of its original value.
Can I Only Challenge A Lincolnshire County PCN on the official website?
Yes, you can only challenge a Lincolnshire County PCN on the official website.
Your Lincolnshire PCN appeal can be initiated by clicking here. On this webpage, you need to enter your PCN number and Vehicle Registration number and click “” Search” to start your PCN challenge. This payments and appeals service has the same account so you must be careful not to click on the PCN payment option after you log in.
You can view CCTV camera footage of your traffic contravention before constructing your PCN appeal. The reasons for you disputing the PCN can be typed into a word processing software first and related to the text of the relevant traffic contravention code as well as to the specific material evidence you plan to use in your appeal. These reasons need to be formally compiled into an appeals letter to be submitted to the Lincolnshire County Council along with any material evidence.
So you can take 3 to 4 days for recollecting your thoughts about the traffic violation incident and even check your vehicle to recall the position in which it was parked that day. If you were driving with a passenger, their observations of the scene from the back seat of your vehicle could also help you to explain exactly what happened. Evidence including photos and videos can be attached online by accessing the Lincolnshire County Council PCN database
You have to make the challenge to your PCN within 28 days of receiving it.
The informal challenge stage only applies to Parking PCN served by a CEO or to a CCTV Bus Lane PCN and has to be made before you are granted the chance for a formal representation. Informal representations are made for PCNs delivered by post only.
You can submit an informal representation to your Lincolnshire PCN through email by writing to lincolnshirenoticeprocessing@apcoa.com. You are advised to also add this email to your contacts list so your informal challenge reply doesn’t get delivered to your junk mail folder.
If the Lincolnshire County Council accepts your PCN appeal, the PCN will be annulled and you will not be liable for paying any monetary penalty. In case the council sends you a “Notice of Rejection” by disapproving of your representation you will have to pay the amount mentioned on your PCN.
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How much is the PCN fine for each of the 3 kinds of PCNs served in Lincolnshire County Council?
The 3 kinds of PCNs served in Lincolnshire County Council are a Parking PCN, a Bus Lane PCN, and a Moving Traffic PCN.
The Penalty Charge Notice fine for a Lincolnshire Parking PCN is set at £70 for a higher level traffic violation and £50 for a lower level traffic violation. A 50% discount applies to early payment so If you pay your higher level parking PCN within 14 days, you just have to pay £35. Similarly, if you pay your lower level parking PCN within 14 days, you just have to pay just £25.
If you pay a Bus Lane PCN within 28 days, you will be charged £70 and if you pay it within 21 days, you just have to pay £35. The PCN fine for a moving traffic PCN in Lincolnshire County Council is £70. There is a 50% discount for paying it within 14 days, which reduces the fine to £35.
How can I pay my Lincolnshire PCN fine?
You can pay your Lincolnshire PCN by telephone, or online here.
The Lincolnshire County Council website has a system for viewing your PCN details before paying the PCN. You need to open this webpage to access the Penalty Charge Notice payments system. You can enter your PCN number and vehicle registration number here and click on “Search” to view details about your Lincolnshire County PCN. After this, you can pay your PCN by typing in your payment card details.
Lincolnshire County Council accepts VisaCard, MasterCard, Maestro Card, DeltaCard, and Electron Card for PCN payments.
You can also pay on the Lincolnshire County Council’s automated payments hotline by dialling: 03300 883 732. Next, you will be required to provide your payment card details, PCN Number, and vehicle registration number. You can enter your PCN number by replacing the letters with the * key. This payment hotline is active 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
What will happen if I don’t pay my Lincolnshire PCN within the 28-day limit?
If you fail to pay your Lincolnshire PCN within the 28-day limit you will be sent a charge certificate from the Traffic Penalty Tribunal. The charge certificate increases your PCN fine by 50%. 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 Lincolnshire County Council.
When the charge certificate is also not paid within 14 days, you will receive a “Notice of Debt Registration” and a witness certificate from the Traffic Penalty Tribunal. 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 or it will have to use additional powers to recover the money from your possession.
Can I Dispute A Lincolnshire PCN with the Traffic Penalty Tribunal if the Lincolnshire County Council dismisses my appeal?
Yes, you can dispute the decision of the Lincolnshire County Council in your “Notice of Rejection of Representations” with the Traffic Penalty Tribunal. For this, you can use the Traffic Penalty Tribunal’s website by clicking this link
You can watch this instructional video here to learn about your challenge process. It 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 Lincolnshire County Council (shown on the bottom part of the page).
You will then be required to enter your Vehicle Registration Number, the reference number from the “Notice of Rejection” letter from the Lincolnshire County Council, and your PCN number for which the appeal was rejected.
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.
Scanned copies of evidence to strengthen your case such as a pay and display ticket or photographs of the scene can be added along with your explanation. The explanation of your case should be well worded and convince the tribunal of an error on the part of the Lincolnshire County Council in adjudicating your case.
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 Lincolnshire County Council.
You will be able to contact the Traffic Penalty Tribunal adjudicator during the registration of your appeal. The result of your appeal will be communicated to you within 14-28 days of submission. If the adjudicator decides the case in your favour, the PCN will be cancelled by the Lincolnshire County Council.
Conclusion
This blog post addressed the question “How Can I Challenge A Lincolnshire County PCN?” Evidence material to be attached with your formal representation must be selected carefully. You also have a second chance to register your challenge as a Notice of Rejection of Representations from the Lincolnshire County Council can be disputed at the Traffic Penalty Tribunal.