Court Claim - Premier Park Ltd

Deku_

Hi All, 

I've recently received a Stamped Court Letter for a Parking Ticket issued by Premier Park Ltd. I've been reading the FAQs and Newbie threads and have used a couple of templates to put together a defence statement (separate post).  I'm hoping someone could glance over it and advise that I'm following the suggestions correctly. I will give as much information as I can here, apologies if I miss anything.

The ticket was issued in a small "Visitors" Car Park for a private residence. My friend does not have a Visitors Permit, which is supposed to be displayed. This particular car park is always empty, it's my belief that nobody has a visitors permit in this block of flats (I have no proof of this). I parked here for around 30 minutes while I popped in to their flat (this was in 2020 and I can't remember the reason for my visit, I recall it being a short visit because I was in disbelief of my luck that the Parking Lads would check in the car park in the short time frame).

Things I've done wrong (so far!):

• I submitted AOC immediately after receiving the Claim Letter. I appreciate I could've have extra time to put my defence together here but I'm not too worried about this (yet!) as I'll likely try to get this done asap to get it off my mind anyway.

• I ignored all letters / demands sent regarding this ticket. I received a number of demands from this company years ago (beyond Statue of Limitations now) for a significantly higher cost (6 parking tickets, if memory serves). These tickets were from the same company, in the same car park of the same residential building. I used to live in this building but now I visit the building as a friend of mine lives there. Eventually the letters stopped and nothing came of these previous tickets.

• Haven't submitted a SAR to Premier Park Ltd. Am I too late to do this now that I have a court letter, or should I do this immediately? I believe they can take a month to reply, and will likely use all this time to prevent me gaining this information prior to a court date?

• Thrown out all correspondence from Premier Park ltds Debt collectors sent to date.

Premier Park Ltd are claiming:

1.      £100 for the PCN
2.      £70 Contractual Costs pursuant to the contract and PCN Terms
3.      £22.19 Statutory Interest

I've checked with my friend, who is a tenant in the residence associated with this car park. There is no mention of any parking or permit obligations in the lease. 

I think my main defence here is that they cannot prove I was the driver as I have another individual on my insurance who visits this same residence frequently. However, I've also read that this is now an outdated defence and won't work - is this the case?



My Defence so far is in a separate post due to character limit (taken from a few examples mentioned in the FAQ and other places on this forum):

If you've read this far,  I really appreciate your time looking at this! If anyone can give pointers / advice I would be forever thankful.

Deku_

IN THE COUNTY COURT

Claim No.:  xxxxxx

Between

Premier Park Ltd

(Claimant) 

- and -  

My Name                        

 (Defendant)

_________________

DEFENCE

1. The Defendant denies that the Claimant is entitled to relief in the sum claimed, or at all.  It is denied that any conduct by the driver gave rise to a ‘parking charge’ and it is denied that this Claimant (understood to have a bare licence as managers) has standing to sue or to form contracts in their own name at the location.

The facts as known to the Defendant:

2. It is admitted that the Defendant was the registered keeper of the vehicle in question but liability is denied. 

3. It is denied that the Defendant was the driver of the vehicle. The Claimant is put to strict proof.

3. The Claimant has provided no evidence (in pre-action correspondence or otherwise) that the Defendant was the driver. The Defendant avers that the Claimant is therefore limited to pursuing the Defendant in these proceedings under the provisions set out by statute in the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 ("POFA")

3.1. Before seeking to rely on the keeper liability provisions of Schedule 4 POFA the Claimant must demonstrate that:

3.1.1. there was a ‘relevant obligation’ either by way of a breach of contract, trespass or other tort; and

3.1.2. that it has followed the required deadlines and wording as described in the Act to transfer liability from the driver to the registered keeper.

It is not admitted that the Claimant has complied with the relevant statutory requirements.

3.2. To the extent that the Claimant may seek to allege that any such presumption exist, the Defendant expressly denies that there is any presumption in law (whether in statute or otherwise) that the keeper is the driver. Further, the Defendant denies that the vehicle keeper is obliged to name the driver to a private parking firm. Had this been the intention of Parliament, they would have made such requirements part of POFA, which makes no such provision. In the alternative, an amendment could have been made to s.172 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. The 1988 Act continues to oblige the identification of drivers only in strictly limited circumstances, where a criminal offence has been committed. Those provisions do not apply to this matter.

4. The defendant was a visitor of a resident of [Address of Residence Here] on 20/08/2020. There is no mention of any Parking Permit Obligations in the tenants lease. 

5. The facts in this defence come from the Defendant's own knowledge and honest belief.  The Defendant should not be criticised for using some pre-written wording from a reliable source.  The Claimant is urged not to patronise the Defendant with (ironically template) unfounded accusations of not understanding their defence. This Defendant signed it after full research and having read this defence several times, because the court process is outside of their life experience.  The claim was an unexpected shock.

6. With regard to template statements, the Defendant observes after researching other parking cases, that the Particulars of Claim ('POC') set out a generic and incoherent statement of case.  Prior to this - and in breach of the pre-action protocol for 'Debt' Claims - no copy of the contract (sign) was served with a Letter of Claim.  The POC is sparse on facts about the allegation, making it difficult to respond in depth at this time.  

7.  This Claimant continues to pursue a hugely disproportionate fixed sum (routinely added per PCN) despite indisputably knowing that this is now banned.  It seems they have also calculated 8% interest on that false sum. It is denied that the quantum sought is recoverable (authorities: two well-known ParkingEye cases where modern penalty law rationale was applied).  Attention is drawn to paras 98, 100, 193, 198 of ParkingEye Ltd v Beavis [2015] UKSC67.  Also ParkingEye Ltd v Somerfield Stores Ltd ChD [2011] EWHC 4023(QB) where the parking charge was £75, discounted to £37.50 for prompt payment.  Whilst £75 was reasonable, HHJ Hegarty (sitting at the High Court; later ratified by the CoA) held in paras 419-428 that admin costs inflating it to £135 'would appear to be penal'.

8. This finding is underpinned by Government intervention and regulation.  The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities ('DLUHC') published in February 2022, a statutory Code of Practice, found here: https:// www[dot]gov [dot] uk/government/publications/private-parking-code-of-practice

9. Adding costs/damages/fees (however described) onto a parking charge is now banned. In a very short section called 'Escalation of costs' the new statutory Code of Practice says: "The parking operator must not levy additional costs over and above the level of a parking charge or parking tariff as originally issued." 

10. The Code's Ministerial Foreword is unequivocal about abusive existing cases such as the present claim: "Private firms issue roughly 22,000 parking tickets every day, often adopting a labyrinthine system of misleading and confusing signage, opaque appeals services, aggressive debt collection and unreasonable fees designed to extort money from motorists." 

11. The DLUHC consulted for over two years and considered evidence from a wide range of stakeholders.  Almost a fifth of all respondents to the 2021 Technical Consultation called for false fees to be scrapped altogether; this despite the parking industry flooding both public consultations, some even masquerading as consumers. The DLUHC saw through this and in a published Response, they identified that some respondents were 'parking firms posing as motorists'.  Genuine consumer replies pointed out that successful debt recovery does not trigger court proceedings and the debt recovery/robo-claim law firms operate on a 'no win, no fee' basis; essentially Trade Body Board member colleagues passing motorists' data around electronically to share inflated sums of money.  

12. This Claimant has not incurred any additional costs (not even for reminder letters) because the parking charge more than covers what the Supreme Court in Beavis called an automated letter-chain business model that generates a healthy profit.

13. The driver did not agree to pay a parking charge, let alone unknown costs, which were not quantified in prominent text on signage. It comes too late when purported debt recovery fees are only quantified after the event.

14. Whilst the new Code and Act is not retrospective, it was enacted due to the failure of the self-serving BPA & IPC Codes of Practice.  The Minister is indisputably talking about existing (not future) cases when declaring that 'recovery' fees were 'designed to extort money'.  A clear steer for the Courts.

15. This overrides mistakes made in the appeal cases that the parking industry try to rely upon (Britannia v Semark-Jullien, One Parking Solution v Wilshaw, Vehicle Control Services v Ward and Vehicle Control Services v Percy).  Far from being persuasive, regrettably these one-sided appeals were findings by Circuit Judges who appeared to be inexperienced in the nuances of private parking law and were led in one direction by Counsel for parking firms, and the litigant-in-person consumers lacked the wherewithal to appeal further.  In case this Claimant tries to rely upon those cases, the Defendant avers that significant errors were made.  Evidence was either overlooked (including inconspicuous signage in Wilshaw, where the Judge was also oblivious to the BPA Code of Practice, including rules for surveillance cameras and the DVLA KADOE requirement for landowner authority) or the Judge inexplicably sought out and quoted from the wrong Code altogether (Percy).  In Ward, a few seconds' emergency stop out of the control of the driver was unfairly aligned with the admitted contract in Beavis. The learned Judges were not in possession of the same level of facts and evidence as the DLUHC, whose Code now clarifies all such matters.

POFA and CRA breaches

16. Pursuant to Schedule 4 paragraph 4(5) of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 ('the POFA') the sum claimed exceeds the maximum potentially recoverable from a registered keeper, even in cases where a firm may have complied with other POFA requirements (adequate signage, Notice to Keeper wording/dates, and a properly communicated 'relevant contract/relevant obligation').  If seeking keeper/hirer liability - unclear from the POC - the Claimant is put to strict proof of full compliance. 

17. Claiming costs on an indemnity basis is unfair, per the Unfair Contract Terms Guidance (CMA37, para 5.14.3), the Government guidance on the Consumer Rights Act 2015 ('CRA').  The CRA introduced new requirements for 'prominence' of both contract terms and 'consumer notices'.  In a parking context, this includes signage and all notices, letters and other communications intended to be read by the consumer.

18. Section 71 creates a duty upon courts to consider the test of fairness, including (but not limited to) whether all terms/notices were unambiguously and conspicuously brought to the attention of a consumer.  In the case of a 'PCN', this must have been served to the driver whilst the vehicle was stationary or, at sites remotely monitored by ANPR/CCTV, served to the keeper so that the motorist learns about it quickly. Signage must be prominent, plentiful, well placed and lit, and all terms unambiguous and obligations clear. The Defendant avers that the CRA has been breached due to unfair/unclear terms and notices, pursuant to s62 and paying due regard to examples 6, 10, 14 & 18 of Schedule 2 and the requirements for fair dealing and good faith. 

ParkingEye v Beavis is distinguished

19. ParkingEye overcame the possibility of their £85 charge being dismissed as punitive, however the Supreme Court clarified that ‘the penalty rule is plainly engaged’ in parking cases, which must be determined on their own facts.  That 'unique' case met a commercial justification test, given the location and clear signs with the parking charge in the largest/boldest text.  Rather than causing other parking charges to be automatically justified, the Beavis case facts (in particular, the brief, conspicuous yellow & black warning signs) set a high bar that this Claimant has failed to reach.

20. Without the Beavis case to support the claim and no alternative calculation of loss/damage, this claim must fail.  Paraphrasing from the Supreme Court, deterrence is likely to be penal if there is a lack of a legitimate interest in performance extending beyond the prospect of compensation flowing directly from the alleged breach.  The intention cannot be to punish a driver, nor to present them with concealed pitfalls/traps, hidden terms or unfair/unexpected obligations.

21.  In the present case, the Claimant has fallen foul of those tests. The Claimant’s small signs have vague/hidden terms and a mix of small font, and are considered incapable of binding a driver.  Consequently, it remains the Defendant’s position that no contract to pay an onerous penalty was seen or agreed.  Binding Court of Appeal authorities which are on all fours with a case involving unclear terms and a lack of ‘adequate notice’ of a parking charge, include:

(i) Spurling v Bradshaw [1956] 1 WLR 461 (‘red hand rule’) and

(ii) Thornton v Shoe Lane Parking Ltd [1970] EWCA Civ2,

both leading authorities confirming that a clause cannot be incorporated after a contract has been concluded; and

(ii) Vine v London Borough of Waltham Forest: CA 5 Apr 2000, where Ms Vine won because it was held that she had not seen the terms by which she would later be bound.  It was unsurprising that she did not see the sign, due to "the absence of any notice on the wall opposite the parking space'' (NB: when parking operator Claimants cite Vine, they often mislead courts by quoting out of context, Roch LJ's words about the Respondent’s losing case, and not from the ratio).  

22. Fairness and clarity of terms and notices are paramount in the statutory Code and this is supported by the BPA & IPC Trade Bodies.  In November 2020's Parking Review, solicitor Will Hurley, CEO of the IPC, observed: "Any regulation or instruction either has clarity or it doesn’t. If it’s clear to one person but not another, there is no clarity. The same is true for fairness. Something that is fair, by definition, has to be all-inclusive of all parties involved – it’s either fair or it isn’t. The introduction of a new ‘Code of Practice for Parking’ provides a wonderful opportunity to provide clarity and fairness for motorists and landowners alike." 

Deku_

Lack of landowner authority evidence and lack of ADR

23. DVLA data is only supplied to pursue parking charges if there is an independently signed landowner agreement (ref: KADOE rules).  It is not accepted that the Claimant has adhered to a defined enforcement boundary, hours of operation, any extended grace period or exemptions (whatever these definitions were) nor that this Claimant has authority from the landowner to issue charges at this place or for the reason given.  The Claimant is put to strict proof of all of this, and that they have standing to make contracts with drivers and litigate in their own name, rather than merely acting as agents for a principal, as some parking firms do.

24. Further, the Claimant failed to offer a genuinely independent Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).  The rival Trade Bodies provided 'blink and you've missed it' time-limited appeals services which failed to consider facts or rules of law properly and unfairly rejected disputes: e.g. despite using legally qualified but anonymous Adjudicators, the IAS upheld appeals in a woeful 4% of decided cases (IPC's 2020 Annual Report).  The Appeals Annex in the new Code shows that genuine disputes such as this, even if made late, would have seen the charge cancelled, had a fair ADR existed.  Whether or not a person engaged with it, the Claimant's consumer blame culture and any reliance upon the industry's own 'appeals service' should not sway the court into a belief that a fair ADR was ever on offer.

25. In the matter of costs, the Defendant asks:

(a) for standard witness costs for attendance at Court, pursuant to CPR 27.14, and

(b) that, in the event of a late Notice of Discontinuance (due to parking firms using and abusing the court process as a cheap - indeed lucrative - form of debt collection) the hearing continues as a costs hearing. CPR r.38.6 states that the Claimant is liable for the Defendant's costs after discontinuance (r.38.6(1)) but this does not normally apply to claims allocated to the small claims track (r.38.6(3)). However, the White Book states (annotation 38.6.1): "Note that the normal rule as to costs does not apply if a claimant in a case allocated to the small claims track serves a notice of discontinuance although it might be contended that costs should be awarded if a party has behaved unreasonably (r.27.14(2)(dg))."   The Defendant may seek a finding of unreasonable conduct by this Claimant, seeking costs pursuant to CPR 46.5.

Conclusion

26. With the DLUHC's ban on additional costs, there is now ample evidence to support the view - long held by many District Judges - that these are knowingly exaggerated claims.  For HMCTS to only dismiss extortionate costs in the tiny percentage of cases that reach hearings, whilst allowing other such claims to continue to flood the courts unabated, is to fail hundreds of thousands of consumers every year, who suffer CCJs or pay inflated amounts due to intimidating tactics at pre-action stage. The Defendant believes that knowingly enhanced parking claims cause consumer harm on a grand scale and it is in the public interest that claims like this should not be allowed to continue.  The Defendant invites the court to dismiss the false 'costs' element at least, and to consider whether an appropriate sanction is to resume the policy of striking out parking claims altogether, where the POC include a vague but fixed sum in 'damages/costs'. 

27. The claim is entirely without merit and the Claimant is urged to discontinue now, to avoid incurring costs and wasting the court's time and that of the Defendant. 

Statement of Truth

I believe that the facts stated in this defence are true.  I understand that proceedings for contempt of court may be brought against anyone who makes, or causes to be made, a false statement in a document verified by a statement of truth without an honest belief in its truth.

Defendant’s signature:

Date:

[END OF DEFENCE]

KeithP

What is the Issue Date on your County Court Claim Form?

Upon what date did you file an Acknowledgment of Service?
Your MCOL Claim History will have the definitive answer to that.

Deku_

Hi KeithP - thanks for replying.

The issue date is 6th May 2022. I submitted the Acknowledgment of Service today, 10th May 2022.

KeithP

Deku_ said:

The issue date is 6th May 2022. I submitted the Acknowledgment of Service today, 10th May 2022.

With a Claim Issue Date of 6th May, and having filed an Acknowledgment of Service on 10th May, you have until 4pm on Tuesday 7th June 2022 to file your Defence.

That's four weeks away. Plenty of time to produce a Defence and it is good to see that you are not leaving it to the last minute.

To create a Defence, and then file a Defence by email, look at the second post in the NEWBIES thread.

Don't miss the deadline for filing a Defence.

Do not try and file a Defence via the MoneyClaimOnline website. Once an Acknowledgment of Service has been filed, the MCOL website should be treated as 'read only'.

Deku_

Thank you, Keith.

I've read the 2nd post and used it to draft the defence in my previous posts - with section 3 being an addition from Johnersh's post.

I've noted to submit via email to the address provided by yourself.

Is there any benefit to waiting to file a defence or should I submit this as soon as I'm ready?

KeithP

Deku_ said:

Is there any benefit to waiting to file a defence or should I submit this as soon as I'm ready?

File it as soon as you are ready, but I would suggest you wait at least a couple of days to give a chance for others to read it and possibly comment on it. Isn't that why you posted your Defence here? 

Deku_

Yes indeed, it is! Sorry - didn't mean to suggest I'd post it right now. I'll certainly be doing some more research before submitting it. There's an overwhelming amount of subject matter on this forum alone - let alone everywhere else!

 Thanks for all the advice so far, really appreciated.

Coupon-mad

3. It is denied that the Defendant was the driver of the vehicle. The Claimant is put to strict proof.

Nonononono.  And more no.  You must never lie.  You told us:

I parked here for around 30 minutes while I popped in to their flat

Deku_

Thanks Coupon-mad, good point. Really I want to have a non-admission here rather than a denial.. 

Would this be better:

"It is not admitted that the Defendant was the driver of the vehicle. The Claimant is put to strict proof."

Or would he be better to just leave that sentence out entirely?