PCN issued complete lie!

give_them_FA

TrickyWicky wrote: »

*Sigh*, so the two councils I worked for are naturally included in that statement despite the fact I've had raging rows with one of the boss's over him personally cancelling good valid PCNs I've issued?

Get your facts right first please. I've been a PA/CEO for two authorities and both of them DO accept informal appeals and frequently let PCNs go. My OHs bro has clocked up several tickets with one of them and I even wrote the appeal myself for him to sign and send. Yes he even got a reply with the 50% discount reinstated on a couple and if I remember correctly another got canned completely.

You are one of the people who annoy me the most. You know nothing about the industry and yet you know everything there is about it when it comes to slagging it off.

No need to be unpleasant old chap. After all, you are hardly an authority on Council attitudes just because you worked for two councils, all you can say is that in the particular councils you worked for this didn't happen. I had rather less positive experiences from the several local authorities I have had to deal with, both on my own behalf and that of others. Even good documented cases had representations rejected by the Council, 100%. Never had a single appeal accepted by the Councils involved! When these matters were taken to adjudication, the success rate was likewise 100%. Unfortunately to some degree Pyrrhic victories since I and the others lost money by appealing which the Council didn't have to pay. And in zero cases did any representative from the Council attend.

My point was that the "no-costs" rule plainly prejudices people unfairly ticketed; and whilst I am sure you were always very conscientious, there are a few about who are not. A Council can reject appeals without being at any risk for costs if the decision is overturned on appeal. So why should the (less scrupulous than yours)councils allow appeals and lose money, knowing that few people will take it on to the tribunal- some may even find it cheaper to pay than appeal if they will lose wages attending?

I think you got to the answer perfectly by saying it was an "industry" . It sure is!

TrickyWicky

I do agree with many of the points you've raised but just not the idea that all councils are in on it. They're not. There are a lot who are useless at enforcing PCNs, others are like sharks and they still accept informal appeals. In your area that might not be the case. You'll always find neighbouring councils have similar policies which then start to slowly change the further apart they become. In my area every council will accept an informal appeal.

I HAVE heard of councils who reject everything automatically but that doesn't mean they're all in on it. Just because I've worked for two doesn't mean I don't know of other things. Parking staff always end up talking to other parking staff on their days off in different areas etc. I've had several come and speak to me when I've been on duty and likewise I've done the same. Usual topics come up, pay, conditions, whats the boss like, what differences the councils have etc. I've also been on several training courses with staff from other authorities.

give_them_FA

O.K., pipe of peace duly smoked! Perhaps I should have prefaced my opinion by saying "in my experience" rather than a more sweeping statement.. but I have dealt with councils as far apart as Devon and London and Cambridge.. and there seemed to be a clear consistency in attitude. Unfortunately cynicism is fuelled by the fact that this HAS become an industry with revenue on the agenda rather than a public service, which is what it ought to be. After all, if it all went like it ought to, this advice line would be redundant, wouldn't it?

To be fair to myself (!) I did not actually say "all" councils. What I said was simply "Councils" which could mean a few, a lot, or all.

TrickyWicky

Yes but Councils is a word which suggests you are trying to cover all councils. Thats the point! The default understanding of your phrase clearly suggests you mean all or the large majority and thats not the case.

I don't doubt you've had bad experiences with many and yes it has become about revenue for many of them. It's not supposed to but the way it works is like this:
Councils are meant to use funds raised for road maintenance. Therefore when times are tough, they can reassign their normal road budgets elsewhere and then try to 'fund' it (or rather their other expenditure) through parking.

Wrong I agree but there isn't much we can do about it. Everyone is under pressure financially including the authorities. They don't have unlimited funds just like the rest of us although they should certainly be forced to spend responsibly rather than wasting money on stupid things.

Even voting with your feet doesn't make any difference these days. Brighton put its first green MP into parliament at the last election. She was all against tax rises etc before being voted in and as soon as she got in she wanted to raise the council tax rather than tax money being offered by the government. Politicians = bad news, the whole lot of them. Not one can be trusted.

Coupon-mad

TrickyWicky wrote: »

Brighton put its first green MP into parliament at the last election. She was all against tax rises etc before being voted in and as soon as she got in she wanted to raise the council tax rather than tax money being offered by the government. Politicians = bad news, the whole lot of them. Not one can be trusted.

Tell me about it - and no I didn't vote the Greens in. :mad: