IPC - pull the other one!!

4consumerrights

The Independent Parking Committee (IPC) have updated their website. They now declare: (homepage: http://www.theipc.info)

The Independent Parking Committee assumes its name from the Committee which ultimately presides over compliance issues with its members and the Independent Appeals Service. The Committee is comprised of independent representatives so as to ensure impartiality and fairness and to encourage the good practice of members. The IPC is not required to be independent of parking operators. The IPC provides services to its members and supports them.

The decisions on appeals and serious disciplinary matters are entirely independent from the IPC, its members and from any company associated with the IPC. All appeals are ajudicated upon by a qualified solicitor or barrister.

The IPC does not provide any legal services.

Yet there is still no information regarding this new committee of representatives who are supposedly "independent" from both the IPC/Gladstones and the Parking companies and oversee disciplinary matters.


On their members benefits page this is now showing:

Training and Development

Private Parking Enforcement is still a developing area and many of the legal principles that surround it can be very confusing. The IPC in conjunction with Gladstones Solicitors will be offering training courses for Operators which are designed to help them keep appraised of issues which effect them.
​

** - Please note The IPC does not provide any legal services. All of the above legal services are provided by Gladstones Solicitors Limited who are able to provide regulated legal services in England and Wales and are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (559050). Gladstones Solicitors are not able to provide advice and assistance to matters outside of this jurisdiction. Gladstones Solicitors Limited is a private limited company (7535449)and is owned by the directors of the IPC.

http://www.theipc.info/#!services/ceb2


Thankyou Gladstones you have just now publicly admitted the connection.

Stroma

Not forgetting of course that gladstones and the IPC share a director, so who is going to be the independent barrister doing appeals? Surely not from gladstones?

Stroma wrote: »

And lets face facts here, you are all linked aren't you? and all I said that you are, and here is public information just confirming that. Explain then?

The Independent Parking Committee
http://companycheck.co.uk/company/08248531
4 THE STABLES,
RED COW YARD,
KNUTSFORD,
WA16 6DG

GLADSTONES SOLICITORS LIMITED
http://companycheck.co.uk/company/07535449
UNIT 1,
THE STABLES,
RED COW YARD,
KNUTSFORD,
CHESHIRE,
WA16 6DG

Who's a director of them all?
JOHN LLEWELLYN GLADSTONE DAVIES
http://companycheck.co.uk/director/911040951

Not a director of these, but take a look at the addresses, see something in common?

PARKSHIELD COLLECTION LTD
UNIT 3 THE STABLES
RED COW YARD
KNUTSFORD
CHESHIRE
WA16 6DG

Redx

and we all know what you get a lot of in stables and especially in cow yards dont we ?

yep s*** , and bull****

4consumerrights

Not forgetting of course that gladstones and the IPC share a director, so who is going to be the independent barrister doing appeals? Surely not from gladstones?

Of course it could be William Hurley (director of Gladstones) - who joined and resigned as director for IPC on the same day

Look at their pricing structure for appeals and services from Gladstones:

How much do appeals to the Independent Appeals Service cost?

Appeals are charged at two rates. £25 if the operator loses the appeal and £15 if the motorist loses the appeal.

Are there additional services I can benefit from?

All members of the IPC receive discounted rates from Gladstones Solicitors. Members can receive
the following services at a fixed fee;

Creation of one sign type - £75

Contract of employment - £100

Drafting notice to keeper/driver/hirer - £75 per document

Landowner/operator agreements – to be negotiated on individual basis

Civil enforcement – to be negotiated on individual basis

http://media.wix.com/ugd/bd9e08_bfab9ef1e7548d8e3edb3086debd93b6.pdf

The_Slithy_Tove

How ironic to think that people on the forums thought the IPC would be a breath of fresh air to the parking industry. What was not considered, of course, was the fact that any new body is bound to be self-serving, and acting purely in the interests of its members, with just a veneer of "credibility" to allow them the treasured access to the DVLA database. In reality, this new outfit seems even worse than the BPA Ltd.

bod1467

I don't think anyone on the forum thought the IPC would be a breath of fresh air, just that we'd need to wait and see their modus operandi.

Stroma

I didn't need time I knew what they would be up to and John Llewelyn Gladstone Davies, next time your firm tries and intimidate people, know that it will be posted up on here so the whole parking forum will see! Now go and run away with your tail between your legs

4consumerrights

The IPC provides services to its members and supports them.

Taken from their code of practice: http://media.wix.com/ugd/bd9e08_a2dad1a02f8ea46a76b78ba0982af9a3.pdf

3.Warranties and Disclaimers.
3.1This Code is designed to complement the laws which apply to the parking industry. It is yourresponsibility to ensure that your business adheres to all relevant legal provisions and the IPC
assumes no responsibility for unlawful or illegal act of its members and you agree to indemnify us as to the same.
3.2By being an IPC member, you agree to indemnify us against all claims that might arise from your obtaining data falsely or illegally or by mistake and against any misuse of any such data.
3.3The IPC will use its best endeavoursto maintain its ATA status with DVLA. ATA status is granted to the IPC by the DVLA and therefore it is within their power to withdraw such status. The IPC will not be responsible for any loss caused to its members in the event that ATA status is withdrawn for any reason

Do you really look after your members ..... The IPC refers members to Gladstones for help with business matters and then if things go pear shaped get the parking companies to indemnify them! The common link being John Llewellyn Gladstone Davies.

'the Creditor’ means, in addition to the definition in the 2012 Act, to be taken so as to include a solicitor acting on the creditor’s behalf

A serious conflict of interest here could arise - a motorist appeals to the IAS who reject it wrongly, the parking company then takes them court using Gladstones......

Stroma

It is a conflict of interest, how can it be independent when they have a parking company, the trade body, and a solicitors at the same address? There's something here that bloody smells fishy

4consumerrights

Taken from IPC's Accredited Operator Scheme page:

http://www.theipc.info/#!accredited-operator-scheme/c1yws

Compliance Monitoring

It is a requirement of all ATA's to have an enforceable Code of Practice. The IPC therefore operates a sanction system in order to encourage compliance.

This includes a complaints procedure which allows people who feel that an operator is not complying with the code to refer matters to us.

The IPC is not able to consider complaints about members unless it is regarding an alleged instance of non-compliance of the Code. Similarly, the IPC are not able to intefere with decisions of Parking Operators in relation to the validity of charges that they issue. Nor will the IPC interfere with or influence in any way, the decisions of the Independent Appeals Service.

This suggests that only those with a parking charge can complain about non-compliance with the COP - so they're not keen to hear from forum members then when breaches are discovered!

Unlike the BPA then who will investigate and interfere with the parking charges and authorise cancellation on occasion.

So you keep saying the appeals is independent from IPC and Gladstones...... trouble is we have difficulty believing it - why don't you supply us with the names of the solicitors you will use then for independent verification! The payment of £25/£15 for each appeal to be heard cannot possibly be representative for payment of a solicitor or barrister you state you use.

And who are the committee who oversee the compliance of your code of practice - still no mention who they are.............

From appeals page: http://www.theipc.info/#!independent-appeals-service/citr

Independence Guaranteed​
​We guarantee that your appeal will be considered by a completely independent and impartial adjudicator.

Whilst the Appeals system is administered by the IPC, each appeal is dealt with by a qualified and practicing solicitor or barrister who will consider written representations from you and the Parking Operator before deciding whether the charge was lawfully issued.

Adjudicators are appointed under a contract of self-employment and it is an express term of their appointment that they must retain complete impartiality. They are not permitted to be influenced by the IPC and must not exercise any bias towards either the Parking Operator or the Motorist

They can only consider the lawfulness of a charge and cannot consider mitigating circumstances.

Athough the IPC works in association with Gladstones Solicitors, Gladstones Solicitors DO NOT consider appeals.[

ARE YOU TRYING TO CONVINCE YOURSELVES NOW GLADSTONES/IPC BY REPEATING THIS - THE MORE YOU SAY IT - THE MORE WE DOUBT IT!

waamo

Appeals are charged at two rates. £25 if the operator loses the appeal and £15 if the motorist loses the appeal.

So clearly no incentive to turn down appeals there then.