In the Harrogate District the penalty charge is £50 or £70, depending on the contravention which had occurred, which is discounted by 50% if paid within 14 days of the issue date.
Harrogate Borough Council
PO Box 377
Harrogate HG1 2WN
If you receive a PCN and believe you are not liable to pay the charge you have three stages of appeal.
This is an informal stage of appeal which can be made when you first receive a PCN.
You should either
Please note this form can only be used to make an objection. If you wish to make a representation (see below) you must do so using the Notice to Owner form and sign the document. Your case will be investigated and considered in line with the Enforcement Authority's agreed procedures. We will write to you with our decision. If your objection is accepted the PCN will be cancelled. If it is rejected you have the option to pay or wait for the Notice to Owner to make a formal representation.
If your objection was received within 14 days of the PCN issue date then you will be given a further 14 days to pay at the reduced rate of £25 or £35. The discounted rate will not apply if payment is made after this 14 day period or if you choose to make a formal representation.
This is a formal stage of appeal which can only be made after receiving a 'Notice to Owner'. The 'Notice to Owner' is sent to the owner/keeper of the vehicle registered at DVLA (regardless of who was driving). You can opt to pay the charge at this stage or you may wish to make a representation. Your case must be put in writing using the Notice to Owner form and will be considered by an independent officer at the Enforcement Authority. Representations should be made on one of the statutory grounds below. If none of these grounds apply to your case you can still make representations to the Enforcement Authority and ask them to take other circumstances into account.
1. The contravention did not occur.
Tick the box on the form if the contravention described on the notice did not happen - for instance if the PCN is for overstaying in a pay and display area and a valid pay and display ticket was displayed, or of the PCN is issued for parking on a yellow line when you were in fact legally loading. When returning the form you should enclose such details as a valid pay and display ticket or delivery note.
2. I was not the owner/keeper of the vehicle at the time of the contravention.
Tick the box on the form if you did not own the vehicle when the PCN was issued. When returning the form please enclose details such as a receipt of sale/purchase or a copy of the DVLA registration form. You must give the name and address of the person who bought/sold the car and the date of the sale/purchase in the box provided on page 3.
3. The vehicle had been taken without my consent.
Tick the box on the form if the vehicle had been stolen at the time the PCN was issued. When returning the form you should enclose evidence such as a police crime report number or insurance claim.
4. We are a hire firm and have supplied the name of the hirer.
Tick the box on the form if you are a hire company and the hirer has signed a formal agreement accepting liability for Penalty Charges. You must complete the name and address of the hirer on page 3 and enclose a copy of the signed hire agreement.
5. The Penalty Charge exceeded the relevant amount.
Tick the box on the form if the PCN asked you to pay more than you are legally liable to.
6. There has been a procedural impropriety on behalf of the Council.
Tick the box on the form if you believe the Enforcement Authority has acted improperly or in breach of the Regulations made under the Traffic Management Act 2004. Please supply details.
7. The Traffic Order was invalid.
Tick the box on the form if you believe that the parking restriction in question was invalid. This applies, for instance, if the Order making Authority had not followed the correct procedure for passing the Traffic Regulation Order. When returning the form you should enclose details.
8. The Penalty Charge has been paid, either in full or at discount rate within discount period.
Please supply details and supporting evidence such as receipt of payment.
If none of the grounds shown above apply, but you believe there are mitigating circumstances in your case, please supply details on page 3 of the form.
If your representation is accepted you will be notified that the PCN has been cancelled. Otherwise you will be sent a formal Notice of Rejection and you then have the option to pay £50 or £70 or appeal to an Independent Adjudicator.
The council is a member of the Parking and Traffic Regulations Outside London (PATROL) Adjudication Joint Committee. Further details of the appeals process and parking penalty enforcement can be found on the PATROL website.
The Joint Committee publishes an Annual Statement of Accounts which is subject to external audit and the arrangements and timetable for 2009/10 can be found at:
http://www.patrol-uk.info/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=35