CST letters' forum group thread

D_P_Dance

Looks good to me, I would delete some of the adjectives though.  

Umkomaas

Very good letter. Says exactly what needs to be said. Let's see what the SRA say. 

Why not copy that and all the documents you've received to Sir Greg Knight MP, sponsor of the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 emanating from which will be the new national (applying in Scotland too) Code of Practice?  Also copy to The Right Hon Robert Jenrick, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (DHCLG), who has responsibility for implementing the outworkings of the Act.

I'm sure both will be interested in (appalled by) the shenanigans going on here. You certainly have the word-smithing ability to pen a pointed, surgical, covering email. Please do this, as making those higher up the food chain aware of this con, the sooner it will be brought to a head.

beamerguy

Very good ...... include the word intimidation

northseajoe1

D_P_Dance said:

Looks good to me, I would delete some of the adjectives though.  

Too many adjectives?  Good point. Sensible, rational, logical and practical point. (Seriously, I will tone it down a bit).

Le_Kirk

Small point, should close with "yours faithfully".

northseajoe1

Umkomaas said:

Very good letter. Says exactly what needs to be said. Let's see what the SRA say. 

Why not copy that and all the documents you've received to Sir Greg Knight MP, sponsor of the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 emanating from which will be the new national (applying in Scotland too) Code of Practice?  Also copy to The Right Hon Robert Jenrick, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (DHCLG), who has responsibility for implementing the outworkings of the Act.
I'm sure both will be interested in (appalled by) the shenanigans going on here. You certainly have the word-smithing ability to pen a pointed, surgical, covering email. Please do this, as making those higher up the food chain aware of this con, the sooner it will be brought to a head.

Good pointers; thank you. But I'd probably prefer to route it via my own MP and ask him to pass it on - any major disadvantages to that approach?

northseajoe1

Le_Kirk said:

Small point, should close with "yours faithfully".

Yes, thank you - I did spot that, but not until I'd posted!

northseajoe1

beamerguy said:

Very good ...... include the word intimidation

Will do. Nice word

Umkomaas

northseajoe1 said:

Umkomaas said:

Very good letter. Says exactly what needs to be said. Let's see what the SRA say. 

Why not copy that and all the documents you've received to Sir Greg Knight MP, sponsor of the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 emanating from which will be the new national (applying in Scotland too) Code of Practice?  Also copy to The Right Hon Robert Jenrick, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (DHCLG), who has responsibility for implementing the outworkings of the Act.
I'm sure both will be interested in (appalled by) the shenanigans going on here. You certainly have the word-smithing ability to pen a pointed, surgical, covering email. Please do this, as making those higher up the food chain aware of this con, the sooner it will be brought to a head.

Good pointers; thank you. But I'd probably prefer to route it via my own MP and ask him to pass it on - any major disadvantages to that approach?

As long as you're confident that he will pass it on. But I still think you need a covering letter, aimed at Sir Greg and Robert Jenrick, to go with all the paperwork. What you don't want is it being passed on with a 'Please see attached' type of forwarding on message. 

northseajoe1

Umkomaas said:

As long as you're confident that he will pass it on. But I still think you need a covering letter, aimed at Sir Greg and Robert Jenrick, to go with all the paperwork. What you don't want is it being passed on with a 'Please see attached' type of forwarding on message. 

Yes, I see your point.   I was thinking of something like this:

Dear Mr Blackford

Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 – Legal Jurisdiction

I am writing to bring to your attention the underhand tactics currently being employed by parking operators in Scotland; and to ask you to raise these with the Westminster departments with oversight of these matters. I believe that Greg Knight MP, sponsor of the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 and/or Robert Jenrick, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government may be especially interested in these issues.

I attach photocopies of two letters I have myself received recently regarding parking in Inverness. The details of the case itself are not pertinent; other than one simple fact: the circumstances would be treated differently under Scottish law than under English law, and the parking operator would have no chance of successfully pursuing the alleged 'debt' in Scottish courts.

The parking company in question have sought to sidestep this inconvenient fact (that they simply don't have any case in Scotland) by routing their legal dealings via an English solicitor and instructing them to send these threatening debt collection letters, which would be allowable under English law. These letters cite precedents and protocols which are only applicable in England and would appear to be solely intended to mislead and threaten Scottish motorists. Many Scots, of course, might not be aware of the differences in jurisdiction and could be intimidated into paying extortionate sums to avoid being summonsed to an English court. I believe this practice – the use of English solicitors to intimidate Scottish motorists – is becoming increasingly widespread.

I understand that a common code of practice is being considered as part of the recent (2019) Parking Act and I would hope that as part of that code Scottish motorists could be protected from this apparently deliberate deception.

I would be interested to hear your thoughts on this matter.

Yours sincerely