Camden Council lost & found

The trouble with the PCN enforcement process sometimes is that it is too automated and marches on regardless. Here is the history of a recent PCN

20/8/14 - PCN attached to car.

26/8/14 - Mr Mustard make the informal challenge by post (Camden don't do email) and sends a copy of his authority to act with it.

10/9/14 - Camden Council reply to Mr Mustard directly & reject the informal challenge.

30/9/14 - The Notice to Owner is issued.

2/10/14 - The formal representations are made by Mr Mustard by letter.

28/11/14 - To the mutual surprise of the motorist and Mr Mustard a Charge Certificate is received putting the PCN value up from £130 to £195. There is officially nothing you can do at this stage apart from either paying or waiting for the next document, the Order for Recovery. Mr Mustard, of course, takes a different course.

1/12/14 - Mr Mustard used the online system as if he was the vehicle owner and pointed out that formal representations were made on 2/10/14 and he helpfully uploaded a copy of them. By using the online system the programme puts progression of the PCN on hold until someone has decided upon what was said.

15/12/14 - Camden Council write to the vehicle owner saying that the letter of 2/10/14 was not received and that even if it had been it would not have been considered as it was not from the owner but from Mr Mustard who provided no proof of his right to act.

19/12/14 - At this juncture Mr Mustard sent the council the following document:

Mr Mustard has never trusted councils to not lose letters, whether by accident or design, if the outcome of such an event is detrimental to him. You should be equally non-trusting.

He also pointed out that the authority letter was already in the council's file and that 56 days had passed since the formal representations were made and so the council had been deemed to have accepted them by default (this is in the legislation).

On checking the PCN value on the council's system Mr Mustard found out on 10 January 15 that the PCN had been cancelled.

Had his client not had his backing Mr Mustard surmises that they would have paid the £195. Mr Mustard rather hopes that a letter of apology and a bunch of flowers is on its way to his client to say sorry but somehow he doubts that any flowers will arrive.

By the by - permit prices

Going back through the papers Mr Mustard was struck by this line in the first rejection letter about the Residents Permit Bay in which his client had accidentally parked:

"resident permit holders pay a premium fee in order to use these bays, the council is obligated to keep these bays as free as possible"

so Mr Mustard checked what permit prices are in Camden and they are emissions based and range from £80 to £265 for the year. Given that his client had paid £5.10 to park for 2 hours he thinks it was her & not residents who are paying premium fees.

The other thing he noticed is that a business permit is £309 in Camden yet it is a minimum of £525 in Barnet. Truly, Barnet Council are fleecing Barnet's businesses. They also plan to move our resident permit pricing to an emissions based model despite consultation which does not favour it and doubtless they will try to take the opportunity to take in extra cash.

The more you learn dear reader about the parking ticket enforcement process the less likely you are to be stung by a council that loses paperwork.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard