Car Parking Partnership Appeal – What You Need to Know

Have you got a Car Parking Partnership fine, and you’re wondering if you should pay or challenge it?

You’ve come to the right spot. Every month, over 130,000 people visit our website for advice on fines and parking tickets.

This article will guide you with clear information on:

•  Understanding Car Parking Partnership fines.
•  Deciding if you need to pay these fines.
•  Learning how to appeal against a Car Parking Partnership fine.
•  Knowing what happens if you don’t pay a parking charge notice.
•  Finding out if a Car Parking Partnership fine is enforceable.

Research from Which? found that the rise in fines can be attributed in part to unclear rules and the variety of payment methods offered in private car parks¹. 

Don’t worry; whether you’re wondering about the Car Parking Partnership appeals process, need contact details, or want to know more about private parking tickets court case examples, we’ve got you covered.

What happens if you don’t pay a parking charge notice?

The operator could take you to court when you don’t pay a Parking Charge Notice.

However, the fine is not the same as a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) and should not be treated in the same way.

A Parking Charge Notice is an invoice you get from an operator because you failed to abide by their ‘rules’. When you think the fine is incorrect, you have the right to file an informal appeal with the Car Parking Partnership.

Our advice is to make sure the fine was correctly given before paying it. In short, file an appeal with the operator as soon as possible!

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Is the fine enforceable?

The Parking Charge Notice you get from a private operator is an invoice and not an official fine.

Car Parking Partnership could issue you with an £85 penalty when they deem you broke the terms of their contract.

However, a Parking Charge Notice is not enforceable unless you are taken to court and lose. The fine becomes enforceable when you are ordered to pay it by a judge.

We advise filing an informal appeal to the Car Parking Partnership when you think the fine is incorrect. But if the penalty is justified and the operator takes you to court, you’ll likely lose, and you’ll have to pay the fine.

Appeal Process Steps

When you think a Parking Charge Notice was given unfairly or incorrectly, challenge the fine! Don’t pay it without first making sure you deserved the fine.

Filing an informal appeal costs nothing and prevents further action from being taken against you. Until your appeal is settled, that is!

If the operator rejects your appeal, you can take the matter to the Independent Appeals Service 

You can file an informal appeal to the operator using their online service. You’ll need to provide the following information:

• The Parking Charge Reference number
• Your vehicle registration

An appeal can be sent to the operator by post to PO Box 635, Chorley, PR6 6NJ.

Here’s a quick table that will help you better understand the appeal process. If you want to learn more about the steps you should take, please read our detailed guide.

Process:	Steps you should take:
When you receive the ticket…	You should gather as much evidence as you can to support your appeal claim and prove that the ticket was unfairly issued.
If you were given the ticket in person/attached to your car…	You must make an informal appeal (sent to the local authority/council that issued the PCN) within 14 days. This should be a letter with the evidence proving why the ticket was incorrectly given.
If it was posted to you…	You will be given 21 days to submit an informal appeal (from the day you received the letter). Your informal appeal should be a letter with the evidence proving why the ticket was incorrectly given.
If the informal appeal is rejected…	You will receive a Notice to Owner and will have 28 days to respond to this with a formal appeal. You can conduct the formal appeal online or via paper form. The Traffic Penalty Tribunal can send you one of these forms.
If the formal appeal is rejected…	You will receive a Notice of Rejection. From here, you are free to challenge the council’s verdict at an independent tribunal.
If the independent tribunal disagrees with your appeal…	You should pay the ticket within 28 days of the tribunal rejecting your appeal. If you don’t, the fine will be increased by 50%. If you don’t have the money to pay the fine, you should contact Citizens Advice or another debt charity.

Don’t forget that the operator may accept or reject your appeal.

If they accept it, they may cancel the Parking Charge Notice. But if they reject it, things get more expensive because the discounted rate would no longer apply.

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Also, you can take the appeal to an Independent Appeals Service (IAS) when you are convinced the fine was incorrectly given.

The operator must agree to the decision POPLA makes regarding your appeal.

What happens if you ignore the notice?

When you ignore a Parking Charge Notice, the operator will send you reminders. They may also threaten to start legal proceedings against you.

This is referred to as a Letter Before Action.

If you continue to ignore correspondence you’re sent, the case could land you in court. Of course, sometimes an operator may not start proceedings, but there’s never any guarantee they won’t.

Our advice is not to let things get this far.

Don’t ignore any letters you get, especially from the court!

Also, the operator may hand your details to a debt collection agency. But, again, don’t ignore them because things can spiral out of control quickly.

Paying a Car Parking Partnership Fine

There are various options if you decide to pay the Parking Charge Notice, which are:

• Make a payment online
• Send a cheque to the operator
• Call the operator’s payment line on 0330 900 7777 

You’ll need to provide the 12-digit reference number on the Parking Charge Notice, whichever method you choose.

Car Parking Partnership Contact Details

Address:	40 Eaton Avenue, Buckshaw Village, Chorley, Lancashire, PR7 7NA
Contact us:	https://www.carparkingpartnership.co.uk/contact-us/
Website:	https://www.carparkingpartnership.co.uk/

References

1. Which? – The rise of private parking fines