How Can I Challenge A Scunthorpe PCN?
This blog serves to answer the question “How Can I Challenge A Scunthorpe PCN?” Your Skunthorpe PCN challenge is an attempt to convince the council that you have been wrongly charged with a Penalty Charge Notice by mentioning your authentic mitigating circumstances or by clearly showing that the traffic violation didn’t happen. The case you present in your formal representation must be backed by authentic evidence material to show the North Lincolnshire Council that the reasons you are mentioning are genuine ones.
How Can I Challenge A Scunthorpe PCN?
Scunthorpe Borough Council existed until 1996, after which it was replaced by the North Lincolnshire Council, which is responsible for serving and dealing with Penalty Charge Notices in the former Town Council. So a Penalty Charge Notice issued in Scunthrope Town Council is actually a North Lincolnshire PCN. The former Skunthorpe non-metropolitan district council was a part of Humberside County, which was also abolished on 1st April 1996.
A Scunthorpe PCN can be challenged by writing a formal representation on the reverse of your Notice to Owner document and sending it via postal service to the North Lincolnshire Council. If you choose to send in your appeal this way, it is essential for you to first compose the text of your challenge by using a word processing software in order to eliminate any mistakes which might weaken your case such as reasons which indicate forgetfulness (of the traffic contravention) or unprofessionally worded appeals which don’t relate to the specific contravention code.
Your Scunthorpe PCN challenge can also be submitted online on the North Lincolnshire Council website for which you will need to upload evidence via your computer or laptop. You must collect and preserve evidence of your road presence in Scunthorpe Town Council. Scanned copies of pay and display tickets, vehicle parking camera video footage, and scanned copies of any previous PCNs served to you should be stored on your personal laptop or computer. This information comes in handy the day you are charged with a Penalty Charge Notice and start searching for appropriate reasons for challenging the decision of the CCTV or Civil Enforcement Officer on the scene.
It might not be possible for you to search for or transfer parking permits, medical reports or parking camera video onto your computer to make your appeal within 28 days. The evidence of your traffic contravention will be lost from the scene and you will have nothing to show for backing up your case unless you make a habit of using a digital camera or camcorder (when you are not driving your vehicle)
If you have received a Parking PCN issued by a Civil Enforcement Officer or a Bus Lane CCTV PCN, you have to register an informal representation first. The informal representation should convince the North Lincolnshire Council of the existence of your mitigating circumstances or of any other established grounds for challenging the relevant traffic contravention.
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. CCTV cameras and Civil Enforcement Officers observe traffic contraventions 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 Scunthorpe PCN?
You can submit a formal representation to your Scunthorpe PCN by writing a letter addressed to the North Lincolnshire Council or by filling in the online formal representation form on the North Lincolnshire website..
You need to brainstorm reasons to challenge a Scunthorpe 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 North Lincolnshire Council. You need to visit the North Lincolnshire Council website to submit a formal representation to your PCN. On this webpage you will see a chat window with the chatbot Max. You need to interact with the chatbot by providing your PCN Number and Vehicle Registration Number. For the first 2 questions you can simply select the text “Yes I’d like some help” and “Yes I’ve got it to hand”. Your message should be typed in the space at the bottom of the page which reads “Type here”. Once these details are verified by the virtual assistant, you can type in your PCN appeal with relevant reasons and evidence (which can be uploaded to the system).
It is essential to upload authentic evidence material with your PCN challenge to describe your mitigating circumstances to the North Lincolnshire Council and for explaining your point of view of the events which took place at the traffic violation scene. 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 North Lincolnshire Council (by mixing up the contraventions) or reasons which involve forgetfulness to justify your actions, you can submit the formal representation.
You can also submit an informal representation to your Scunthorpe PCN (CCTV Bus Lane PCN or a Parking PCN served by a CEO which had to be delivered by post) by accessing your PCN details here. To access the form you need to enter your PCN (Notice) number and vehicle registration number on this page.
You have to fill out the informal representation form by typing your full name, email address, and the contents of your informal representation. Once you are sure that you have constructed a strong appeals case to make the council grant you a formal representation, you can submit your form. The informal appeals stage is applicable to PCNs sent by post.
Another way to send in your Scunthorpe PCN challenge is by mail. You can write down a formal representation on paper and attach evidence documents or photographs to the form using a stapler or paper clip. The PCN challenge needs to be sent to the North Lincolnshire Council’s Parking Services address. Your letter should mention your PCN number, date of issue of the PCN, your vehicle registration number, and personal details.
Your PCN appeals form and all accompanying evidence documents (enclosed in an envelope) need to be sent to:
Parking Services,
Church Square House,
PO Box 42,
Scunthorpe,
North Lincolnshire,
DN15 6XQ
On what grounds can I challenge a Scunthorpe Bus Lane CCTV PCN?
You can challenge a Scunthorpe Bus Lane CCTV PCN on the following grounds :
- You did not enter a bus lane during operational hours and the CCTV has wrongly charged you with a PCN as you were just trying to access premises next to the bus lane. Contravention code 34 J.
- You did not ignore or disregard a “no entry” sign for a bus lane, the contravention code 51 J needs to be mentioned, before proving that the violation didn’t happen.
- Your vehicle was not parked in a bus lane during its operational hours. Contravention code 34M or 34 F.
How Can I Pay My Scunthorpe PCN fine?
You can pay your Scunthorpe PCN on the North Lincolnshire Council’s online payments page, by sending a check or postal order through the mail or by calling the North Lincolnshire Council’s automated payments hotline.
If you choose to make your PCN fine payment online, you should visit the North Lincolnshire Council website. On this page you can enter your PCN number and your Vehicle Registration Number to initiate your PCN fine payment. You need to click on “Continue” once you have entered these details. In the next step of paying your PCN, you need to enter your payment card details to complete the online payment process. North Lincolnshire Council accepts Visa, Mastercard, Maestro Card and Delta Card for PCN payments.
You might want to call North Lincolnshire Council’s automated payments hotline. For this you have to call on 01724 297 000. On the call you will need to enter your Scunthorpe PCN number and your payment card details. You can use the * key to enter the letters in your PCN number. This payment hotline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You should wait to receive a confirmation code for your PCN payment before ending the call.
How much is the PCN fine for each of the 3 kinds of PCNs served in North Lincolnshire Council?
A Parking PCN in North Lincolnshire 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 North Lincolnshire 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 Scunthorpe 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 North Lincolnshire Council. As per your driving license rules, you are bound to abide by Parking, Bus Lane, and Moving Traffic contravention codes in the North Lincolnshire Council.
If you neither pay your Skunthorpe 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 North Lincolnshire 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 or 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 Scunthorpe PCN with the Traffic Penalty Tribunal if the North Lincolnshire Council dismisses my appeal?
Yes, you can dispute the decision of the North Lincolnshire 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 North Lincolnshire 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 North Lincolnshire 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 North Lincolnshire 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 North Lincolnshire Council.
Conclusion
This blog post addressed the question “How Can I Challenge A Skunthorpe PCN?” You must prepare for writing a PCN appeal by memorising the traffic contravention codes applicable to bus lanes, road junctions, and parking zones in the North Lincolnshire Council. The grounds for your formal representation should be written down after carefully analysing the facts relating to the traffic violation as some details might take a few days to be correctly recalled.
