Islington PCN - Pay or Appeal?

Have you just received an Islington Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) and are wondering if you should pay it or appeal? You’re in the right place to find out. Our website is visited by over 130,000 people every month seeking help with fines and parking tickets.

In this friendly guide, we will explain:

What an Islington PCN is.
If you must pay a PCN in Islington.
How you can make an appeal against an Islington PCN.
Ways to avoid getting a PCN in Islington.
What might happen if you don’t pay the PCN.

We understand that it can be really upsetting to get a parking fine. But you might find comfort in knowing that you’re not alone. In fact, Churchill Motor Insurance reports that in 2022, UK councils issued an average of 19,631 daily parking fines, a 12% increase from the previous year.¹

Don’t worry; we have plenty of simple tips and examples to help you through this and understand your options better.

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64% of Appeals Succeed

In some circumstances, you might have a legitimate reason not to pay your fine.

It’s a bit sneaky, but the last time I needed legal advice, I paid £5 for a trial to chat with an online solicitor called JustAnswer.

Not only did I save £50 on solicitor feeds, I also won my case and didn’t have to pay my £271 fine.

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*Around 35,000 people dispute their tickets each year with the Traffic Penalty Tribunal, and a striking 64% of those appeals are successful, so it’s well worth a try.

What is an Islington PCN?

An Islington Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) usually refers to a parking fine from Islington Council.

However, an Islington PCN fine can also be a fine for a driving offence, such as turning in a direction that traffic laws don’t permit, or driving in a bus lane at times when motorists aren’t unauthorised to do so.

Do you have to pay your PCN Islington?

You must either pay or appeal against your Penalty Charge Notice from Islington Council within 28 days.

You should not ignore a Penalty Charge Notice and hope it will go away on its own – it won’t.

These are real fines with real consequences, which isn’t always the case with private parking fines!

Appeal Process Steps

The process of challenging an Islington parking ticket varies whether you received the ticket on your vehicle or in the post.

You have to make an informal Islington parking PCN appeal to the council first if your PCN was left on your vehicle.

I’ve put together this table that explains the steps you should take to make an appeal. If you want to learn more about your PCN, be sure to check out our specialized 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.

Keep in mind that if you were caught on camera and were sent the PCN in the post, you must make a formal appeal first. These types of appeals are also called representations.

Informal appeal rejections can be escalated to formal appeals. An Islington PCN representation requires you to explain and justify why the parking ticket should not stand.

It is best done with a convincing argument and evidence if possible, such as photographs.

I’ve made writing a formal appeal easier in my free-to-download PCN appeal letter template.

You cannot make your appeal by calling the Islington PCN contact number; it must be in writing.

Successful Appeal Case Study

Situation

Initial Fine	£100
Additional Fees	£171
Total Fine	£271

The Appeal Process

Scott used JustAnswer, online legal service to enhance his appeal. The trial of this cost him just £5.

Total Fine	£271
Cost of legal advice	£5

JustAnswer helped Scott craft the best appeal possible and he was able to win his case.

Scott’s fine was cancelled and he only paid £5 for the legal help.

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In partnership with Just Answer.

How much is a PCN in Islington?

A PCN for a parking offence can range from £80 to £130 depending on the seriousness of the offence and if it caused danger to other motorists.

These parking fines are not the same as private parking tickets you can sometimes receive for not paying to park in a private car park, such as at a hospital or supermarket.

What happens if you don’t pay your Islington PCN?

If you receive a Penalty Charge Notice from Islington Council and don’t pay within 28 days, your Islington PCN cost will increase by 50%.

So if the original fine was £100, it will be increased to £150.

They issue something called a charge certificate to increase the fine, and you’ll have 14 days to make this new Islington Council Penalty Charge Notice payment.

There’s also a way to pay a reduced fine. Read on to find out how.

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How do I pay my PCN Islington?

The easiest way to pay your Islington Borough PCN is on the council website here.

You will need your PCN number to locate your fine online and make a payment with a bank card. The PCN reference number is usually found at the top of your paper fine.

Islington Council, like many other councils across the UK, will give you a chance to pay a lower fine if you pay quickly.

If you pay the parking ticket within 14 days, the PCN payment Islington Council will accept is halved! So an £80 fine would change to a £40 fine.

You normally have to pay within 14 days to get the discount. You might get some extra days if the PCN was sent by post.

Islington Council’s stance on PCNs

Islington Council states on their website that they have a duty to keep traffic circulating and junctions free for the safety of pedestrians.

Unlawful parking causes delays, blocks accesses and generally causes danger to both other drivers and pedestrians which is why they issue PCNs.

» TAKE ACTION NOW: Get legal support from JustAnswer

Islington PCN appeal rejected – next step?

Islington Council may reject your appeal, so is there anything you can do about it?

There is! Any Penalty Charge Notice appeal that is rejected by the council can be escalated to an independent tribunal.

This tribunal will have the final say on whether the parking fine should be enforced or cancelled.

If you decide to take your Islington PCN appeal to a tribunal, it will be dealt with by London Tribunals.

Islington PCN phone number

Islington PCN number	020 7527 2000
Islington PCN email address	[email protected]

FAQs

What is the 56 day rule?

Local councils should respond to a ‘representation’ within 56 days of receiving the appeal to let you know if they accept your reason for disputing a fine or whether they reject it.

What is a grace period?

You should be allowed a grace period of ten minutes to get back to your car before a parking ticket is issued.

What if I’ve moved address?

You must update your details with the DVLA when you move house. If you don’t, you risk being given a hefty fine.