MISS MONEYSAVER shares how to challenge an unfair parking fine

My friend Helen recently managed to get out of a parking fine from her council. She thought it was unfair (it often is) and wrote a letter explaining why.

The answer she got wasn’t very helpful, so she wrote again, and then again. In the end, she took it to London Tribunals, which deals with council parking fines in the capital, and she won. In fact, the juror said he was impressed with how calm and kind her side of the correspondence had been.

Helen isn’t the only one who reverses a parking fine at a tribunal. Last year, 35,000 driver complaints went to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal – the assessors of council parking fines in England and Wales – and two-thirds were awarded in favor of the drivers.

But it is still a drop in the ocean when you look at the number of parking tickets issued annually.

According to Churchill Motor Insurance, nearly 20,000 parking fines were issued daily by UK councils last year and an estimated 30,000 fines by private companies each day between April and June last year, a 50 per cent increase from the same period in 2021.

Understandably, many fines go unchallenged. It’s tedious to do the paperwork. I think of the time my parking scratch card slipped and disappeared from the dashboard. I should have taken that to a court, but I didn’t because I was busy. I could kick myself right now because I’m sure I could have made a good case if I had put in the time.

And if you really think your fine is unfair, it’s worth challenging it, points out Barrie Segal, who set up the website. Profession nu.com.

Barrie is a strong believer in bluffing city and private parking enforcement officers, insisting that a large number of parking fines are simply unfair.

“Both the private companies and the municipalities work on the same basis,” he says. “It’s actually harassment. They want you to think it’s too much effort to hire them.’

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

There’s also good advice on fighting a parking ticket 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 counterclaim.

You can appeal their decision for any number of reasons. It could be because of poorly worded or incorrect signs where you parked (my friend Adam had Leeds Council withdraw his ticket this way), or because you had a medical emergency so you had to park where you shouldn’t have (this could be something as simple as having to stop for the toilet, if you have a relevant condition).

Other valid reasons for avoiding a parking fine could be that you broke down and were waiting for a technician, or that you attended to an emergency.

If you can prove any of the above – and you would need photographic and/or written proof of your argument – you could have your parking ticket lost, if not by the council or parking company and then appeal.

It’s also worth knowing that since April 2015, motorists in England have been legally given a ten-minute grace period at the end of each 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 parking operators, but a new code of conduct is in preparation to make it mandatory in England, Wales and Scotland.

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

In private car parks, tickets are technically not fines, but charges under a contract that you enter when you park. Unless you can dispute this charge, it’s often better to pay early so you get the “deal” at half price rather than paying in full.

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

Beware of scam parking cards claiming 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 the Citizens Advice Bureau for them to check.

Do you have a question for Jasmine? Email her at AskJasmine@MoneyMagpie.com

Earn while driving a campervan to pubs

Do you dream 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 motorhome to help design the UK’s Ultimate Pub Trail.

In return you get a ‘daily allowance’ for the trip and you can drive a fully equipped camper, or receive extra money if you already have your own camper.

To qualify, you must be over 18 years old, hold a valid UK driving license and be able to drive a motorhome. Send photos of your road trips to britstops.com/pints.

• Get 15 percent off a nifty 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 like. Use it in the kitchen, the barbecue or on the dining table. The discount code is ‘missmoneysaver’ and can be used on everything on the finamill.co.uk website before July 23, except the BBQ bundle.
• Boxsaver.com is very good for savings on your supermarket store. It sells products of major brands at a lower price than in the supermarket. It also offers free shipping on orders over £25. There’s everything from favorite brands like Batchelors, Napolina, Heinz, John West and many more, and for an exclusive 15 per cent discount enter code Magpie15 at checkout .
• Heinz offers families the chance to enjoy ‘Dayz Out’ for free 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 enter for free. See dayzout.heinz.co.uk for more information. claim before October 31 and use before December 31.

Little space? Buy a table barbecue

For those who, like me, only have a small outdoor space, can still enjoy BBQ food with a tabletop model, such as The Wasabi Company’s traditional clay-made Japanese grill.

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

Or you could go for one of those disposable grills I love for picnics on the beach or in the park (if I have one that allows barbecues).

Some supermarkets still sell them and they cost around five euros, or you can get one from Force4.co.uk for £3.95.

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

For those with the space, BBQ specialist Landmann has an impressive range that covers everything from basic grills to high-tech outdoor kitchens.

In fact, they’re having a big sale right now and you can get an extra 10 percent off all products between now and July 16 with code MAGPIE10 at landmann.co.uk/collections/all-products.

You 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 code DAILYMAIL20 (valid until 31 August).