MISS MONEYSAVER shares how to challenge an unfair parking fine

My friend Helen recently managed to get out of paying a parking fine imposed by her local council. She felt it was unfair (it often is) and wrote a letter to explain why.

The response she received was less than helpful so she wrote again, and then again. Finally she took it to London Tribunals, which covers council parking fines in the capital, and she won. In fact, the adjudicator said he was impressed by how calm and friendly her side of the correspondence had been.

Helen’s not the only one to overturn a parking fine at a tribunal. Just last year 35,000 complaints from drivers went to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal — the adjudicators for council parking fines in England and Wales — and two-thirds were awarded in favour of the drivers.

But it’s still a drop in the ocean when you look at the number of parking tickets issued each year.

According to Churchill Motor Insurance, almost 20,000 parking fines were given out every day by UK councils last year and an estimated 30,000 fines were issued by private companies every day between April and June last year, up 50 per cent from the same period in 2021.

MISS MONEYSAVER shares her tips on how to challenge an unfair parking fine (file image)

It’s understandable that many fines go unchallenged. It’s a nuisance to do the paperwork involved. I am thinking of the time when my parking scratch card slipped and couldn’t be seen on the dashboard. I should have taken that to a tribunal but I didn’t because I was busy. I could kick myself now as I’m sure I could have made a good case if I had put the time into it.

And if you genuinely think your fine is unfair, it’s worth challenging it, insists Barrie Segal, who set up the website Appealnow.com.

Barrie is a great believer in calling the bluff on council and private parking enforcers and insists that a large number of parking tickets are simply unfair.

‘Both the private companies and councils work on the same basis,’ he says. ‘It’s basically intimidation. They want you to think it’s too much bother to take them on.’

For the price of a small charity donation, you might be able to get help from Barrie to fight your case. You can contact him at an email address he has set up for Mail readers: barriedailymailtickets@appealnow.com.

There’s also some great advice on how to challenge a parking fine in his book Barrie Segal’s Quick Guide To Fight Your Parking Ticket, £5.99 on Amazon (tinyurl.com/fightparkingtickets), or free if you have Kindle Unlimited.

The first step is always to contact the issuer of the parking fine with your counter-claim.

You can appeal against their decision for all sorts of reasons. It could be because of poorly worded or incorrect signs where you parked, (my friend Adam got Leeds Council to rescind his ticket using this method), or because you had a medical emergency so you had to park somewhere you shouldn’t (this could be something as simple as needing to stop for the toilet, if you have a relevant condition).

Other valid reasons for getting out of a parking fine could be that you had broken down and were waiting for a mechanic, or you were tending to an emergency.

If you can prove any of the above — and you would need to have photographic and/or written evidence of your argument — you might be let off your parking fine, if not by the council or parking company then at appeal.

It’s also worth knowing that since April 2015, motorists in England have been legally granted a ten-minute grace period at the end of any parking session in a designated council parking bay. So check what time a ticket is issued. If it was within the grace period, you don’t have to pay.

Offering a similar grace period is currently only voluntary for private car park firms but a new code of practice is in the pipeline to make this mandatory in England, Wales, and Scotland.

Private parking firms are currently not allowed to charge you more than £100, but under the new rules, slated to come into force later this year, this will be capped at £50 outside London and £80 in the capital.

In privately owned carparks, tickets are not technically fines but charges under a contract you enter when you park. Unless you can contest this charge, it’s often better to pay early so you get the half-price ‘deal’ rather than paying the full amount.

But you can appeal if you think the charge is unfair, either to POPLA, Parking On Private Land Appeals popla.co.uk or the IAS, Independent Appeals Service theias.org.

Just be aware of scam parking tickets that claim to be from private companies. Check online at Gov.uk to see if the company exists. It may even be worth taking the letter to Citizens Advice Bureau for them to check.

Got a question for Jasmine? Email her at AskJasmine@MoneyMagpie.com 

Earn as you drive to pubs in a motorhome

Dreaming of the open road? Motorhome holiday website Brit Stops (britstops.com) is offering to pay someone to visit and sample hundreds of pubs across the country in a campervan to help design the UK’s Ultimate Pub Trail. 

In return, there is a ‘daily stipend’ for the trip, and you’ll get to drive a fully decked-out motorhome, or receive extra cash if you already own your own one.

To qualify, you must be over 18, have a valid UK driving licence and be able to drive a motorhome. Send pictures of your road trips to britstops.com/pints.

• Get 15 per cent off a handy new gadget called the FinaMill. It’s a spice grinder with interchangeable pods that allow you to switch from pepper to salt to chilli, or whatever spices you’re interested in. Use it in the kitchen, the BBQ or on the dinner table. The discount code is ‘missmoneysaver’ and can be used on anything on website finamill.co.uk, except the BBQ bundle, before July 23. 
• Boxsaver.com is very good for savings on your supermarket shop. It sells big brand products at a lower price than in the supermarket. It also offers free delivery on orders above £25. There’s everything from favourite brands like Batchelors, Napolina, Heinz, John West and much more, and for an exclusive 15 per cent off, put in the code Magpie15 at the checkout. 
• Heinz is offering families the chance to enjoy free ‘Dayz Out’ with vouchers. There are free tickets to theme parks, bowling, go-karting and thousands of other venues, with vouchers on promotional packs of Heinz Beanz, Hoops, Tomato Ketchup and other products. Each voucher allows one person to go in for free. See dayzout.heinz.co.uk for more. claim by October 31 and use by December 31. 

Motorhome holiday website Brit Stops (britstops.com) is offering to pay someone to visit and sample hundreds of pubs (file image)

Short on space? Get a table-top BBQ

For those, like me, who only have a small outdoor space, you can still enjoy BBQ food with a table-top model, like the traditional clay-made Japanese grill by The Wasabi Company.

This retails for £98 but you can get 10 per cent off with the code DAILYMAIL at the checkout (thewasabicompany.co.uk)

Or you could go for one of those disposable grills which I love for a picnic on the beach or in the park (if I’m in one that allows BBQs).

Some supermarkets still sell them and they go for around a fiver, or you can get one from Force4.co.uk for £3.95.

For a greener alternative, you can get an eco-friendly one where every element can be recycled from Souschef.co.uk for £8.99 (souschef.co.uk/ products/casusgrill-disposable-eco-bbq). Pricier but better for the environment.

For those with the space, BBQ specialists Landmann have an impressive range covering everything from basic grills to high-tech outdoor kitchens.

Better still, they have a big sale on currently, and you can get an extra 10 per cent off all products between now and July 16 using the code MAGPIE10 at landmann.co.uk/collections/ all-products.

You can even get a discount on skewers for your barbecued meat, fish or vegetables.

The Spice Kitchen is offering an exclusive 20 per cent discount on its bamboo and metal skewers (thewasabicompany.co.uk) when you use the code DAILYMAIL20 (valid until August 31).