Newham PCN – Pay or Appeal? 

Just received a Newham council parking fine and are unsure what to do next?

You’ve come to the right place! Each month, over 130,000 people visit our website to get clear advice about fines and parking tickets.

In this easy-to-understand article, we’ll cover:

• What a Newham Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) is.
• If you must pay Newham parking fines.
• How to challenge a Newham parking fine.
• Tips to stop getting a parking fine in Newham.
• What could happen if the fine is not paid.

In 2021, Churchill Motor Insurance reported an 8% increase in penalty charge notices (PCNs) in Britain, with over 5.2 million issued.¹ So rest assured, you’re not alone!

Don’t worry — we have lots of useful advice and examples to help you out.

What is a Newham PCN?

A Newham Gov PCN is a Penalty Charge Notice issued by Newham Council to a motorist.

If you have received a Newham Borough PCN, it will be because the council believes you have:

1. Parked illegally
2. Committed a local driving offence, such as driving in a bus lane

Penalty Charge Notices can also be served for not paying road tolls, such as the Dartford Crossing or the London Congestion Charge.

But these are not issued by a local authority and are instead sent by transport groups like Transport for London.

When Newham Council issues a PCN, they will do so directly with parking wardens or they will send it in the post if your offence was caught on camera.

The cost of the ticket ranges from £80 to £130 for parking offences. 

What happens if you don’t pay the parking fine?

Not paying your Newham PCN fine within 28 days will result in the fine being increased and a court order.

The council sends a charge certificate after the 28-day deadline, which increases your fine by 50%.

You then get 14 more days to pay the bigger fine. 

» TAKE ACTION NOW: Get legal support from JustAnswer

If you were to ignore the charge certificate, Newham Council can ask for a court order to make you pay.

Motorists who ignore a court order will face debt enforcement action, including the use of bailiffs. These bailiffs can request money, charge additional (expensive) fees and may even repossess your valuable assets. 

Why would I get a PCN from them?

There are many reasons why you could get a Newham PCN, some of which I’ve listed here:

• You parked illegally on single or double yellow lines
• You stopped in a box junction
• You drove in a bus lane to let an emergency vehicle go by
• You forgot to pay to park
• You failed to display a Parking Permit, Pay & Display ticket or Blue Badge correctly
• You turned left or right when it’s not permitted

Is a Penalty Charge Notice a Fixed Penalty?

A Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) from a council is not the same as a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN), which is usually issued by the police.

Whereas not paying a PCN can result in civil consequences, not paying an FPN can result in criminal prosecution. 

This doesn’t mean the consequences of not paying a PCN should be scoffed at.

Can you challenge the parking fine?

You are allowed to challenge a Penalty Charge Notice Newham fine within the 28 day period you get to pay the fine.

The process of appealing a Newham parking fine can be complex and is initially determined by how you received your PCN.

But before you make any decision, you may want to find out what Newham PCN evidence the council holds against you.

You can do this via an online portal on the council’s website.

You can also retrieve a lost PCN number Newham fine details by contacting the council.

Check out this message posted by a motorist who wanted to know how long they had to appeal a postal PCN.

Source: Moneysavingexpert

PCN Common Defences

If you believe the PCN was unfairly issued, you have the option to appeal. However, it’s essential to carefully consider the defense you can present.

There are a few common PCN defences that you can use if you decide to appeal your ticket.

Common PCN Defence	Explanation
You were parked correctly	By law, your ticket should be cancelled if you haven’t broken any parking laws.
Unclear, incorrect, or missing signage	It is a legal requirement that all parking areas or roads with parking restrictions have clear road markings or signage. You also have a good defence if your ticket was sent in the post, but there were no signs warning of CCTV or ANPR systems when you parked.
You had no way to pay	You can appeal your ticket if you can prove that the only available ticket machine was broken or damaged. You also won’t win your appeal if there is a sign telling you not to park if there is no way of paying.
It wasn’t you who committed the parking infraction	The ticket should be cancelled if you didn’t commit the parking infraction as someone else was driving your car.
You couldn’t get back to your car	People with some disabilities or small children are protected from discrimination by the 2010 Equality Act. Struggling to get back to your car could be legitimate grounds for appeal.
Your car had broken down	If you got a ticket whilst waiting for your car to be towed or fixed, you have strong grounds for appeal. The ticket issuer should have understood that you physically couldn’t move it.
You were only just out of time	Late by just 5 or 10 minutes? You can appeal as you are entitled to a ‘grace period’ after your parking time runs out.

The appeal process explained

Most people file a PCN Newham appeal by making a formal appeal, also called a Newham PCN representation.

This is a letter stating exactly why you think the PCN should be withdrawn and no fine is owed. And it should be accompanied by strong evidence when possible, such as a video or photo. 

However, if your Newham PCN was left for you on your vehicle or handed to you in person, you cannot make a formal appeal first.

You must instead make an informal appeal by getting in touch with the council.

The good news is that an informal appeal rejection can be escalated to a formal Newham Council PCN representation.

Paying the reduced fine

You can make your Newham London PCN payment over the phone, by cheque or online.

The easiest way to pay is online on the council’s website. You’ll need your Newham Council PCN number to make the payment. 

Paying your Newham PCN charge within a shorter period allows you to access a reduced fine.

You will be able to save 50% of the fine by paying within 14 days – or 21 days if your PCN was sent in the post.

This means you could save at least £40. 

You can pay the fine by post by sending a cheque to the Newham PCN address shown in the table below.

Once your Newham Council PCN payment is processed, you won’t have to worry about being chased by the authority any longer.

Where is the web code on a PCN Newham?

During the formal appeal process, you have the right to view evidence held by the council.

Your Newham PCN web code is also written on your PCN and can be used to view a photo or video of the supposed offence.

This can be done directly on the Newham Council website. 

Should I appeal or pay?

As I see it, there is no blanket answer to tell all motorists whether they should pay or fight their Newham PCN dispute.

The decision should come down to your own judgments and feelings.

Start by asking yourself whether you’re confident the PCN Newham Council will be overturned and if you have enough evidence.

If the answer is yes, then there may be no reason not to appeal.

Others may want to avoid the process and take advantage of the reduced fine by paying within 14 days.

There is no right or wrong answer and you should do what’s best for you. Whatever you do, don’t completely ignore the parking ticket. 

Newham London PCN challenge rejected – help!

When a Newham PCN appeal is rejected, you are allowed to escalate the appeal to an independent body.

All Newham PCN appeals must be escalated to the London Tribunals, which will independently assess your arguments and have the final say. 

Note: you can also appeal a court order asking you to pay if you think the council hasn’t followed the correct process when issuing a Newham PCN.

Newham Penalty Charge Notice contact number

The Newham Penalty Charge Notice contact number is 0300 123 1059. This is the number to call to speak to someone rather than to pay your PCN.

There is no published Newham Council PCN email address, so you would need to email your query to their general email address instead.

Newham penalty charge contact number:	020 8430 2000 – payment option
Newham PCN check:	View and appeal Newham PCN online option
PCN pay Newham fine by post:	L B Newham Parking Correspondence, PO Box 71575, London, E6 9LY
Newham PCN view images:	View images online option
Newham PCN email:	N/A
Newham parking email:	N/A
Website:	https://www.newham.gov.uk/
Newham penalty charge customer service:	020 8430 2000 – customer service officers

References

1. Direct Line Group — Parking Fines Statistics