Time limit for Council response to parking PCN representation?

itm2

I received a parking ticket from Hounslow Council on 28th January, and on the same day sent an email representation to the email address on the back of the PCN, formally appealing the PCN. I got an immediate acknowledgement that my email had been received.

The next that I heard from the Council was a Notice to Owner dated March 2nd, demanding that the full amount be paid (£110). I received this on March 4th. On the same day I sent another email to the Hounslow email address, explaining that I had received no response to my challenge, and asking them to confirm the status of my challenge. On the same day I then sent a follow-up email, flagging a procedural impropriety on their part - i.e. their failure to respond to my initial representation before sending the Notice to Owner, demanding payment of the full £110. I did not receive a response to either of these two emails.

The next that I heard from them was a Rejection of Representation letter dated April 7th - I received this on April 9th (70 days after the PCN was issued). It presented me the option of paying £55 "before the end of the period of 14 days beginning with the date that the Notice of Rejection letter was served". As a precaution, I paid this on that day, but since my understanding was that the Council was required to respond to representations against PCN's within 56 days, I also initiated a case with London Tribunals, appealing against the charge. This case is due to be heard in the next couple of weeks, but in the meantime the Council has sent me a copy of their evidence. This was the essence of their response:

"The Council is under no obligation to respond to challenges however, in this instance, as the Council missed the challenge from the appellant, we responded to appellant's representations within the time frame required by the legislation and also offered the appellant an opportunity to pay discount charge of £55.00 to close the case. However, the appellant has decided to appeal further and therefore the full charge of £110.00 now applies....
A payment of 255.00 has been received. In the event that, the Adjudicator refuses the appeal, I would ask that the remaining 255.00 becomes payable."

Their case history at the foot of their submission shows this:
Penalty Charge Notice issued – 28/01/2026
Notice to Owner issued – 02/03/2026
Representations received – 06/03/2026 (contrary to the date of my email - 28/01/2026)
Representations rejected – 07/04/2026
Appeal received – 12/04/2026

Can anyone shed any light on where I stand with this - for example:

- Is it true that "The Council is under no obligation to respond to challenges"?

- Having paid the £55 within 14 days of being served the Rejection of Representation, can I be liable for another £55 if my appeal fails for any reason?

Gr1pr

To get definitive answers i suggest that you post your query over on the FTLA parking forum website after reading their posting requirements first, where the experts are