Appealing against your Penalty Charge Notice

Information on how to appeal against a Penalty Charge Notice issued by a parking attendant, and the process the Council goes through to recover penalty charges is summarised in the Contesting an On-Street or Car Park Penalty Charge Notice Leaflet(pdf, 262KB) which you can download or request. See the Parking contact details page for numbers to call to request a printed version of the leaflet.

It is important that you consider carefully your position before appealing. Essentially, you need to be realistic about your appeal and confident that you can back up any statement you make. In certain cases evidence or documentary proof will be necessary.

Some appeals will almost always be rejected so please read carefully our Facts and Fiction page before appealing.

Your rights to appeal depend what document you have received from the council and wish to appeal against:-

You have just received the Penalty Charge Notice ('parking ticket')

Legally there is no right to appeal at this stage, the Council does however accept correspondence on the matter

You can send a letter or download and complete our Statement of appeal Form(pdf, 109KB) and post it to Parking Services or The Parking Shop (address details are on the Parking contact details page).

You have received a Notice to Owner or Enforcement Notice

  • This is your legal chance, called a 'Representation', to appeal the penalty charge
  • The document clearly describes the process and the only acceptable grounds for appealing the penalty charge
  • Do not ignore this document, you must make a representation or pay the charge by the date specified on the notice (this is 28 days from the date of posting of the notice).

You have received a Notice of Rejection of Representation

  • This is the council's legal rejection of your representation (see above) with its reasons why the penalty charge cannot be cancelled
  • You will receive an Appeals form for the independent Parking and Traffic Appeals Service with the letter
  • You must read, complete and return the form to the Parking and Traffic Appeals Service or pay the charge to the Council
  • Do not ignore this letter this is your last chance to appeal or pay the standard penalty charge. You have 28 days to act before the charge increases.

You have received a Charge Certificate

  • You have no legal right to appeal the penalty charge now
  • You must pay the charge indicated within 14 days
  • Do not ignore this certificate, if you do the charge will be registered as a debt with the County Court, and may lead to the debt being passed in to the hands of a Bailiff.

Also note that at no time will a Penalty Charge Notice be cancelled over the phone - all appeals must be in writing.

Please remember whenever writing to us to:

  • Clearly indicate the Penalty Charge Notice number (RTnnnnnnnn), on documentation supplied
  • Write to us as soon as possible
  • Tell us as much as you can about the facts of your case and your reasons for appealing
  • Provide us with any evidence or documents you have to support your claim.