Issued a PCN from both the council AND private parking company.

aled247

Hello everyone need some advice to a fairly strange/long situation.


12 months ago (almost to the day) I moved house into an area of Greenwich, London and would park on an area by my house that was a big paved area (a bit like a newly developed paving area, hard to explain) with other cars always parking around me not blocking any walkway/business/doors. For the first few weeks I thought I was fine parking there (there were signs dotted around from a private company stating you needed permits to park in parking bays but this area had no bays marked on it (will try and get photos uploaded shortly) which is why I assumed all other cars were also taking their chances there too.
After a few weeks of parking there I went out one morning to find a PCN stuck to my car windscreen from Greenwich Council (as had all the other cars around me). I appealed it on the grounds that it wasn't a parking bay so I did not need a permit (naively back then thinking council parking had put the signs up) but they came back rejecting the appeal stating that it was classed as a pavement/walkway and therefore any hindering of pavements doesn't need to be signposted or something along those lines and so I did not fight it further, paid the fine and didn't park my car there any more.
I thought that was all done and finished with 12 months ago.


6 months after resolving this PCN from council I moved to another area of London, updated all my car documents and lived here since.
This week I have received a letter in the post from 'gladstone solicitors' demanding £320 (two £160 charges, one for 30/7/18 and one for 01/08/18) with evidence of pictures showing me parked in the exact same spot that I parked when the council stuck a PCN on my windscreen.
For a start, in the pictures it shows my car is in the exact same position (to the exact crack in the brick on the floor so I must never have even moved it to begin with) so unsure how they can charge me twice in 2 days. Also who has the jurisdiction here? I surely cannot have to pay BOTH the council and a private parking company?
There is a sign in the pictures, but you cannot see what it says, when I have driven the hour today to go and take pictures for evidence of what is on this sign, the sign is gone (you can see where it USED to be through holes in the wall) and has cars parking there.


What should I do?

Coupon-mad

Reply to Gladstones only if it is a real LBC giving you 30 days, NOT if it's a debt letter asking you to pay DRP and giving you 14 days. If the latter, ignore it but:

Which parking firm?

And, log into the Local Authority's penalty charge website and see if the data for your VRN shows those old PCNs, still. I suspect it will, for example when I checked for a relative's Wandsworth one last month, the records also showed his previous one that I'd won for him.

Can you find that PCN data to be ready to use in evidence?

If not, then send a SAR to the Local Authority asking specifically for all data they hold relating to all PCNs issued to that car (your personal data). Then you can use their reply as evidence to Gs to shut them up.

Do that this weekend.

aled247

Hello.


I have managed to upload the pdf they sent me (as when I got the letters from Gladstone I requested evidence which they sent me via email)


https://pdfhost.io/v/FXh7Sumd7_BUNDLE500pdf.pdf


This is exactly what they sent me, the only thing I have edited is whited out my name/address/registration, everything else the same including their red lines around the street I was parked on.

Coupon-mad

OK, I looked at that rubbish but it changes nothing about my advice as to what to do urgently this weekend:

Reply to Gladstones only if it is a real LBC giving you 30 days, NOT if it's a debt letter asking you to pay DRP and giving you 14 days. If the latter, ignore it

VERY IMPORTANT:

And, log into the Local Authority's penalty charge website and see if the data for your VRN shows those old PCNs, still. I suspect it will, for example when I checked for a relative's Wandsworth one last month, the records also showed his previous one that I'd won for him.

Can you find that PCN data to be ready to use in evidence?

If not, then send a SAR to the Local Authority asking specifically for all data they hold relating to all PCNs issued to that car (your personal data). Then you can use their reply as evidence to Gs to shut them up.

Do that this weekend.

aled247

Yes I am going to try and call them tomorrow as I do not remember the PCN or have any record of payment (looked through my bank statements but they don't go back that far) so hopefully Greenwich council will give me what I am after once I call them and explain the situation

Coupon-mad

Do not call anyone.

At no point did I say to make any phone calls (and particularly not at the weekend).

aled247

Thank you for the quick advice, Unfortunately I did acknowledge them already by phone as I originally got a letter in the post from Gladstone which had nothing from the above PDF, I called them (Gladstone solicitors) immediately and explained I had no idea what it was for so wanted evidence as I didn't even know what it related to, it just said parking charges in their letter. On the phone they said that they didn't have the information but would send me the evidence once they received it, they sent me the evidence about 10 days later (yesterday)



The email (which I received yesterday 18th July) that had the above PDF attached says this:


'' [FONT=&quot]Dear [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Thank you for your correspondence in relation to this matter. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Please see attached the evidence you requested in relation to this matter. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]We trust the enclosed explains our Client’s position in relation to why the debt is outstanding and in view of the evidence itself, it is our Client's position that the sum of £320 remains outstanding within 30 days from the date of this correspondence. In the event that neither a substantive response nor payment is made within this time-frame our Client may elect to issue legal proceedings without further notice.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]If after seeing the evidence you would like to make arguments as to why you believe the debt should not be owing, we invite you to return those reasons to us so that we may review them and respond accordingly. In the event a response is not substantive however, our Client may elect to issue legal proceedings without further notice.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Payment can be made by calling our payment line on 0333 0230 049 or on our website www.gladstonessolicitors.co.uk.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Alternatively, you can make payment via bank transfer. Our bank details are as follows;[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Account Number: 33028712[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Sort Code: 20-24-09[/FONT]

aled247

I've not responded to the email I received yesterday.

Coupon-mad

aled247 wrote: »

Thank you for the quick advice, Unfortunately I did acknowledge them already by phone as I originally got a letter in the post from Gladstone which had nothing from the above PDF, I called them (Gladstone solicitors) immediately and explained I had no idea what it was for so wanted evidence as I didn't even know what it related to, it just said parking charges in their letter. On the phone they said that they didn't have the information but would send me the evidence once they received it, they sent me the evidence about 10 days later (yesterday)



The email (which I received yesterday 18th July) that had the above PDF attached says this:


'' [FONT=&quot]Dear [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Thank you for your correspondence in relation to this matter. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Please see attached the evidence you requested in relation to this matter. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]We trust the enclosed explains our Client’s position in relation to why the debt is outstanding and in view of the evidence itself, it is our Client's position that the sum of £320 remains outstanding within 30 days from the date of this correspondence. In the event that neither a substantive response nor payment is made within this time-frame our Client may elect to issue legal proceedings without further notice.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]If after seeing the evidence you would like to make arguments as to why you believe the debt should not be owing, we invite you to return those reasons to us so that we may review them and respond accordingly. In the event a response is not substantive however, our Client may elect to issue legal proceedings without further notice.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Payment can be made by calling our payment line on 0333 0230 049 or on our website www.gladstonessolicitors.co.uk.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Alternatively, you can make payment via bank transfer. Our bank details are as follows;[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Account Number: 33028712[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Sort Code: 20-24-09[/FONT]

Changes nothing, and you will not be phoning anyone again. Do what I advised.

aled247

I've just had a look on my local authorities website to check but to find information I require the PCN number as well as my VRN, but I do not have the PCN number as it was from so long ago.

Coupon-mad

OK, so I gave you an alternative!

I think I will need to post on other threads now as I've made it clear what to do to get the evidence you need to show Gs, that this is Local Authority patrolled land, which means their client was acting illegally.