Barnet residents - champion appealers to PATAS

Mr Mustard wrote about the high number of Appeals registered at PATAS in the week of 17 February. He thought he would check the following week to make sure it wasn't a fluke. He hasn't distorted the figures as Mr Mustard only files about two Appeals a week to PATAS. Here are the daily numbers for the week of 24 February 14:

PATAS	Barnet	Londonwide
	Appeals	Appeals	%
Mon	23	271	8
Tues	18	282	6
Weds	30	358	8
Thurs	27	284	10
Fri	20	325	6
Sat	-	-
Total	118	1,520	8
PCN issued	Barnet	London	%
Year to March 13	165,569	4,283,964	4

The previous week saw 125 Barnet Appeals logged so if this rate of Appealing keeps up (and 21 were filed yesterday) there will be over 6,000 in a full year or about 3.7% of all PCN being appealed, a rate which will be 2 or 3 times the average across London.

If these statistics aren't proof that Barnet Council's agent NSL are doling out more doubtful tickets than is the case in other London boroughs, then what is?

Well done with all your appeals. Keep them coming.

Remember that there is a quick guide to appealing at the top left of this blog.

Remember that once you have the Notice to Owner your chance of a 50% discount has gone so you might as well appeal the Notice to Owner. If you then receive a Notice of Rejection you might as well complete the PATAS form as it costs you nothing, except 5 minutes of your time, and it costs the council the thick end of £40 in fees to fund PATAS which they never see again and are not added to the sum you have to pay. Costs only apply once in a blue moon if you have been wholly unreasonable, frivolous or vexatious which, if you have any sort of argument at all, you will not have been. Costs are only ever likely to be awarded against someone who has abused the TE9 procedure by making a false declaration to the TEC at Northampton.

Remember that the more PATAS Appeals go in the more likely it is that the council will decide not to contest even after having already refused you twice. It happened to Mr Mustard this week. He had what he thought was a quite tricky appeal about a person having paid by phone for the wrong vehicle registration and the council decided not to contest as soon as he filed the PATAS form. He did of course have his usual menu of arguments so he doesn't know which one hit the council for six, but one of them did. They said there was a BPO error (a processing error Mr Mustard thinks that means but he can't see one and it may not exist. The council/NSL don't like losing face so make up imaginary errors sometimes, Mr Mustard thinks).

Remember to appeal every Saracens Zone PCN as the signage is not good enough.

Remember to always stick to timetable so that you can avoid the TEC route.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard