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Private parking ticket

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Dear all,
I study at a well known campus university in the UK.
One of the biggest fleeces of this university is that they will not allow you to buy a permit unless you have a medical condition or you must look after someone in care. For reasons that I would prefer not to explain, whilst I need to visit home regularly I cannot.
The way I see it, is that these “invoices” are issued by the staff on behalf of the University, who according to the Car Park Partnership website, when paid, the university receives the money from that.
I have already received a few tickets, I am not going to pay them, I’ve done enough research on this website and others to realise that it is best just to ignore them.
What really annoys me is that it seems to me that I am the only student that realises that these tickets are not fines and instead invoices for breaches of contract.
Secondly, I believe that the Car Parking Partnership is in contravention of The Administration of Justice Act 1970. One the ticket’s outside it says “It is an offence for any person other than the drive to remove this notice”. Section 40 of the act explicitly prohibits pretending to have authority, i.e. looking like a real PCN.
I do feel like reporting them to the police or trading standards because it is clear that this is exactly what they are trying to do. I am not sure about how far I would get however, and wouldn’t I almost certainly incriminate myself by admitting to have been the driver as I would have had some of these envelopes in my possession.
The University could technically clamp my car but I’ve never seen it done and it’s a £35 release fee.
If I continually get tickets issued will that mean that it is more likely for the CPP to take me to court?
Thanks

Comments

  • Crabman
    Crabman Posts: 9,942 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Combo Breaker
    If they clamp your car the person doing it MUST have an SIA licence. If not, they are committing a criminal offence and the police should be called.

    Also, universities often say they won't let you graduate if you owe them any money. Whilst they may feel that these invoices constitute debts, they are not. It only becomes a debt once it has been ruled by a court to be a debt.

    Don't worry that you seem to be the only one who knows that they're invoices, not fines. When I was at university it often felt that there were only a handful who actually had two brain cells to rub together.

    Not sure whether the same vehicle incurring lots of invoices would push them into taking some sort of further action. Perhaps someone else will know the answer to that one.
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