Is this " proof" of exemption?

Katykat

I got a letter from local hospital with an appointment to attend. This letter states that there is a charge for parking at the hospital but disabled badge holders are free. I am aware that this is probably a mistake as there has been quite an uproar over charging disabled people to park. However , I decided to challenge it I made several copies of this and keep one in my car. I used my blue badge in a disabled bay. Yesterday I received the penalty letter- £75 or £40 if paid within 14 days. I'm not paying it. I've filled in the template (I was driving but my OH was in the car & he is the registered keeper.). I've enclosed a copy of the appointment letter but redacted some medical details and a copy of blue badge. Is this appointment letter proof that I believed blue badge holders are exempt? Even though I know different, and there are notices in the car park saying that blue badge holders must still pay?

The_Slithy_Tove

Take it up with PALS at the hospital. They can generally get it sorted out, especially if you present them with the Trust's own damning evidence.

EDIT: And don't contact the PPC until your OH receives the NTK, as advised by the NEWBIES thread. As the RK and driver are different people, then POFA can only be used to pursue this if they get everything right, which they probably won't.

enfield_freddy

the hospital owns the land
the hospital set the charges
the hospital work out rules and regulations


The PPC don,t give a toss and are only there to scam people.


the hospital invited you there , they sent you there terms and conditions , the PPC , have acted without there authority.


before complaining to the PPC , complain to the hospital that the PPC are not following there rules/guidelines

fisherjim

enfield_freddy wrote: »

the hospital owns the land
the hospital set the charges
the hospital work out rules and regulations


The PPC don,t give a toss and are only there to scam people.


the hospital invited you there , they sent you there terms and conditions , the PPC , have acted without there authority.


before complaining to the PPC , complain to the hospital that the PPC are not following there rules/guidelines

You missed one Freddy;

The hospital appoint the PPC!

So the hospital should b****y well sort it out, I see the old "admin error" excuse popping up in this one.

Katykat

I've sent a reply to them with a copy of the appointment letter. I don't doubt it will mean nothing to them, but I've written that we will not correspond with them any more. Any other letters will go in my big black filing cabinet in the garden. One more question. The letter was addressed to my OH as the RK, so they obviously obtained his name & address from DVLA. How come they can do that? Could that not be construed as breaching data protection?

Fruitcake

Katykat wrote: »

I've sent a reply to them with a copy of the appointment letter. I don't doubt it will mean nothing to them, but I've written that we will not correspond with them any more. Any other letters will go in my big black filing cabinet in the garden. One more question. The letter was addressed to my OH as the RK, so they obviously obtained his name & address from DVLA. How come they can do that? Could that not be construed as breaching data protection?

Was the original PCN from the hospital or from a PPC.

I believe the DVLA are allowed to give out keeper details for parking matters as long as the PPC is a member of an acredited ATA or are the landowner. In this case the hospital is the landowner and therefore within their rights to ask, and DVLA are within their rights to give out the keeper details. If the PCN was from a separate PPC, they must be a member of an ATA to have obtained keeper details and have a contract with the hospital to collect monies from parking.

Umkomaas

You haven't told us who the parking company is, but if it's ParkingEye, this is not the strategy you need to be employing,

I've written that we will not correspond with them any more. Any other letters will go in my big black filing cabinet in the garden.

not unless you want to run the risk of a visit to your local small claims court

Katykat

It's not Parking Eye, its Highview. And I sent the template downloaded from this site which states that this will be my only correspondence. Obviously I did not write that I would put any further letters in the bin, that is metaphorically speaking. I am not ignoring the parking charge, I have responded to it. Incidently, I have been researching the question of whether the DVLA are allowed to sell details of registered keepers and apparently they are. So that's nice to know.

Katykat

Got a letter from Highview today allowing my appeal. They have cancelled the charge notice, so a small victory. They have, however, ended the letter with the point that disabled parking is no longer exempt from charges. The local paper is influxes with complaints about it. One guy drove around the hospital grounds 4 times & couldn't find a space. He gave up, went to A&E in the next town and he still received a charge. A hospital spokesman told the local paper
“We have taken our time in introducing this system and have found that the main reasons for people receiving parking charge notices has been not entering their full registration, or not paying for the time that they have used and also being under the impression that if you do not park in a car parking space that you do not have to pay.”
So, now, we have to pay even when we DONT park. This is crazy.
Is anyone preparing a class action to challenge this practice?

Fruitcake

Katykat wrote: »

Got a letter from Highview today allowing my appeal. They have cancelled the charge notice, so a small victory. They have, however, ended the letter with the point that disabled parking is no longer exempt from charges. The local paper is influxes with complaints about it. One guy drove around the hospital grounds 4 times & couldn't find a space. He gave up, went to A&E in the next town and he still received a charge. A hospital spokesman told the local paper
“We have taken our time in introducing this system and have found that the main reasons for people receiving parking charge notices has been not entering their full registration, or not paying for the time that they have used and also being under the impression that if you do not park in a car parking space that you do not have to pay.”
So, now, we have to pay even when we DONT park. This is crazy.
Is anyone preparing a class action to challenge this practice?

There was a judge who stated the opposite view. Drivng around looking for a space is not parking.

Drivng around looking for a space is not parking.

The hospital spokesperson needs re-educating

fisherjim

My wife works for the NHS, and if you saw the guff that comes out of the estates management department about parking you would wonder how such idiots could hold down any job!