A cruel world in Barnet

 

Don't blame the Adjudicator, their job is to apply the law. If this had been a parking PCN the adjudicator could have recommended that Barnet Council exercise discretion and cancel or not pursue the PCN. That power is not available to an adjudicator for moving traffic PCNs.

The exercise of discretion over their PCNs is the sole province of Barnet Council. Councillors are kept out of, or don't try and get involved in, the day to day process and this case sadly and perfectly demonstrates why they should be more involved. Don't leave the day to day decisions to 'officers' (staff or contractors) who may be blinded by the revenue raising imperative.

Perhaps Barnet Council are trying to get their £4,000 back from when they failed another autustic person.

Mr Mustard is sure that Barnet Council (and others) hate the regular kicking they get from Mr Mustard. When they stop being utterly mean and miserable he will have nothing bad to write about (and there have been a few occasions when he has written about kindness). Will that day ever arrive?

The end.

Why aren't pedestrian zone permits automatically issued to residents?

 

Hawkshead Road in Brent is a short one way road which probably doesn't see much traffic most of the time, due to its location. It is a one way road and because of the school a limited hours restriction on entering is in place.

To park you need a permit.

Here is what the entry now looks like.

Mr Mustard would probably have run an inadequate signage argument due to there being only the one sign, the foliage and the too late set back position but that probably wouldn't work for a resident who has passed it numerous times.

The reason Mr Mustard came across this restriction was because there was a council v council punch up at the tribunal and Mr Mustard always likes to see how good the council is at taking it considering how much they dish out. Not very good usually. Here is the decision.

 

 

Some adjudicators allow an Appeal when the resident has a parking permit because they might think that entitles them to drive home to access the relevant parking bay, not so in this case and that is a correct decision if one strictly applies the law, which is, of course, the task the adjudicator is charged with, to apply the law.

There is no doubt that the driver was entitled to a permit (he/she must use the same vehicle everyday, if they had pool vehicles this would be unworkable).

The obvious question (for other residents with their own registered cars rather than work vehicles) is why every resident in the affected road is not automatically issued with a pedestrian zone exemption permit for as long as they live in the road. After all, the council know who they are, where they live and their vehicle registration. They could easily issue pedestrian zone permits to known residents and prevent them from being penalised for not having a free permit to which they are absolutely entitled.

It wouldn't be the massive income stream would it? Perish the thought.

The end.

Six of the best for a teacher

 

Another random tribunal decision which Mr Mustard came across.

 

The whole point of 'school streets' is to prevent through traffic not to penalise people with good cause to visit the location. There was no traffic management purpose to these PCNs, they are just revenue raisers.

Mr Mustard doesn't think that a council treating its employees in this way is the best way to retain existing talent or to attract other teachers to Tower Hamlets to fill its vacancies.

Trying to cane a teacher for £960 was clearly unreasonable. (There is no guarantee that another adjudicator would take the same decision, tribunal decisions are not precedents but may be legally persuasive although the facts each time may well differ. You can ask another adjudicator to follow this decision).

The end.