How Do You Appeal A PCN In Ealing Council?
Appealing against a PCN is only advisable when one is completely sure of their stance and has sufficient evidence to support their claim. Through this blog post, we aim to learn how one can appeal a PCN against the Ealing Council, the process involved, the consequences of not paying a PCN as well as the reasons why a PCN may be issued to someone in Ealing Council.
How Do You Appeal A PCN In Ealing Council?
You can appeal a PCN in Ealing Council at different stages of the PCN process until you pay the fine or your appeal is successfully accepted by the council and the charges are waived off.
In the first stage when the PCN is handed over to the driver or posted on the car windscreen, you have 14 days to avail a 50% discount if you pay the PCN and 28 days to pay the fine in full. You can make an “informal challenge” against the PCN by not paying the fine and contacting the council office that issued the PCN. This contact should ideally be made after 24 hours of being issued a PCN and within the 28-day limit for payment of the fine. You may be required to provide evidence in support of your challenge.
If the council accepts your claim, the PCN will be waived off and you will not have to make any payment. However, if the council rejects your challenge, a new PCN will be issued with another 14-day discount offered. This time, you will be issued a “notice to owner” (NTO). If you wish to pursue your appeal, you can do so by issuing a “formal representation” in response to the NTO.
If the formal representation is rejected by the council, the NTO recipient will then be informed to appear before an independent adjudicator at the Traffic Penalty Tribunal as the process goes into the next stage.
You can appeal to the independent adjudicator as a last attempt to challenge the PCN. If your appeal is accepted, the PCN is waived off and the matter is dismissed. However, if your appeal is rejected, there is no more room to appeal and you will have to make the payment within the next 28 days.
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.
Do You Have To Pay PCN In Ealing?
According to the Traffic Management Act 2004, a vehicle’s registered owner is bound to pay the Penalty Charge Notice issued by the local council in the case of a parking or traffic contravention.
If you are in Ealing Council, this payment can be made online by accessing the council’s portal and adding one’s Vehicle Registration Number and PCN number.
However, if you believe that you’ve been fined in error and should not be held liable to pay the fine, you can challenge the PCN by appealing against the fine. This can also be done online through the Ealing Council website or by sending a letter of appeal through the post at the following address:
Ealing Council
Parking services
PO Box 46264
London W5 2UN
However, if one intends to challenge a PCN, they should not pay the fine until the appeal process is complete and a decision is made against their appeal.
What Happens If You Don’t Pay PCN In Ealing?
If you do not pay your PCN within 28 days, you will be issued a charge certificate after which you will have 14 days to clear your dues. If you fail to do so, an additional amount of 50 per cent will be added to your PCN charges.
How a PCN payment works is that once a penalty charge notice is issued by council authorities, you will have 28 days to make the payment. In case the amount is paid within 14 days, you may even get a 50 per cent discount on the fine.
If your PCN is more than 60 days old, you have been issued an ‘Order for Recovery of Unpaid Penalty Charge Notice’ more than 21 days ago or you’ve been issued a bailiff’s letter, you will not be able to make an online payment to clear your PCN charges. In this case, you may have to pay through cheque, postal order or in person at the council post office.
How Much Is A Penalty Charge In Ealing?
Depending on the seriousness of the contravention, a PCN in Ealing Council can be £80 for a low-level contravention or £130 for a high-level contravention.
Some low-level contraventions are:
- If a vehicle is parked without paying charges.
- If a vehicle is parked for a longer time than it is permitted.
- If a vehicle is parked after the expiry of paid time.
- If a vehicle is not parked correctly within the specified markings of a bay or space.
- If a vehicle is parked in a car park when it is closed.
High-level contraventions include the following situations:
- If a vehicle is parked in a restricted street during prescribed hours.
- If a vehicle is either parked, loading or unloading in a restricted street where waiting, loading or unloading restrictions are applied.
- If a vehicle is parked in a residents’ or shared use parking place without the display of a permit.
- If a vehicle is parked in an electric vehicle’s charging place during restricted hours.
- If a vehicle is parked in a permit space without displaying a valid permit.
What Is An Ealing PCN?
A PCN is a fine that vehicle owners have to pay for breaking traffic or parking rules. The parking ticket is either handed over by the Civil Enforcement Officer to the driver of the vehicle at the time or is stuck on the car’s windscreen.
Contained in a yellow envelope, the PCN carried all the details regarding the traffic or parking contravention that had taken place.
A PCN can be issued on the basis of the following:
- CCTV footage shows that parking rules have been broken
- A CEO is prevented from issuing a parking ticket to the driver
- The driver drives away before the CEO can issue the parking ticket
Can You Ignore A PCN In Ealing?
No, you cannot ignore or avoid paying a PCN; unless you have been fined in error and intend to challenge the fine before the due date. In case you appeal against a PCN and your claim is rejected, you will then have to pay the charges.
PCN payments are mandatory and deliberately caused dues can be responded to with legal action by the authorities.
If you avoid paying a PCN and do not challenge it as well, you may have to deal with legal action as part of the response taken by the council authorities for an unpaid PCN.
How Do You Pay A PCN In Ealing?
You can pay your Parking Charge Notice (PCN) or parking fine in one of the following ways:
- cash
- cheque
- credit card
- debit card
- postal order
In case of payment through cheque, you are advised to write your PCN number starting with EA on the reverse side of the cheque. In the case of postal orders, cash should not be sent through the post.
Alternatively, you can call the Ealing Council office to make a payment over the phone.
In case you choose to make an online payment through the Ealing Council portal; you will need to use a debit card or credit card to make the payment.
Conclusion:
The above discussion makes it quite clear that should one prefer to appeal against a PCN in Ealing Council. They must do so before the end of the 28-day period during which the PCN is due for payment. While the appeal can be filed conveniently through the council’s website, one must gather and submit relevant and accurate evidence in support of their appeal to ensure the possibility of success.
FAQs: How Do You Appeal A PCN In Ealing Council?
How do I contact Ealing parking services?
You can contact Ealing parking services by placing a call on 020 8825 6565.
How do I send an email to the Ealing Council?
You can send an email to Ealing Council at ealinghousinghub@ealing.gov.uk.
How do I get out of a fixed penalty notice?
Unlike a PCN, you cannot appeal against a fixed penalty notice. If you have been issued one and believe that you are not liable for it, you will have to wait until the matter goes to court.
Can you park in Ealing for free?
Yes, you can park for free after 6 pm from Monday to Sunday at the following locations in Ealing:
- Arden Road
- Dean Gardens
- Featherstone Terrace
- Maitland Yard Car Park
- Salisbury Street
How do I pay for a parking ticket if I lost it in the UK?
If you’ve lost a parking ticket in the UK, you can ask the issuing authority for the ticket number and any other details to pay the charges.
References:
Pay or challenge your parking fine or penalty charge notice | Ealing Council
Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) | Parking fines | Ealing Council