Safe Speed Forums

http://neilherron.blogspot.com/2006/08/high-court-parking-ticket-victory-for.html

Great news and one more for justice.

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Useless laws weaken necessary laws.

About time too.
Well done All.

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Speed limit sign radio interview. TV Snap Unhappy
“It has never been the rule in this country – I hope it never will be - that suspected criminal offences must automatically be the subject of prosecution” He added that there should be a prosecution: “wherever it appears that the offence or the circumstances of its commission is or are of such a character that a prosecution in respect thereof is required in the public interest”
This approach has been endorsed by Attorney General ever since 1951. CPS Code

Effing brilliant! I thought this was on the 1st and was concerned it was bad news. Well done to all involved, it will be great to see how many councils are involved. Southampton is definately one.

I hate to piss on your bonfire here but..



So the tickets will be altered to print the date twice, with one marked ad the date of issue, and the fleecing will recommence.

All that's happened is one person has got out of paying, and they will have to spend some money redesigning their parking tickets. How do you think they will fund that?

OTOH, anyone who gets a parking ticket elsewhere, can check for this and quote the case to get out of paying, so in the short term it's all good.

Ah yes. But the big red refund button, may well need to be pressed for all tickets that have been paid but are invalid, since the day councils started issuing them.

Indeed, but Millions of unlawfully obtained monies will have to be paid back in the interim. This not only embarasses local authorities, but NPAS, PATAS and the DofT too. They hadn't countered on the requirment for the date of contravention. Remember, this was just about the date of issue!

(Northants) Drivers take action over 'illegal' tickets

Chronicle & Echo, Northants Today, 07 August 2006
http://www.northamptontoday.co.uk/ViewA ... ID=1678314

Group of motorists present borough council with a legal writ

MOTORISTS have served a writ against Northampton Borough Council demanding they pay back millions of pounds collected from allegedly invalid parking fines.

The group claim parking tickets issued by borough council wardens omit the date of issue and the date of the contravention, both of which are needed for them to comply with the relevant Road Traffic Act.

They have been emboldened by last week's High Court ruling of Justice Rupert Jackson in a similar matter which went against Barnet Council.

The court ruled that the tickets issued without dates were invalid, which can now be considered in parking fine appeals.

A legal notice was handed to Northampton Borough Council legal officers at the Guildhall on Friday by group member John Stanton of Glasgow Street, St James.

Mr Stanton said: "The council has been warned before by the National Parking Adjudication Service when they sent a memo to all councils last May saying that if they did not comply, each did so at its own risk

"Northampton Borough Council, even though they have been warned by NPAS and have been emailed by us, have buried their heads in the sand and continued to issue what we see as illegal parking tickets.

"Now the Barnet Council case has set a legal precedent, I think it gives us a much better chance of getting Northampton Borough Council to admit they have been wrong.

"We estimate the borough council must have issued several million tickets without these proper dates on and our ultimate aim would be to claim that back."

The writ gives the borough council legal department 18 days to respond to the claims before the group attempt to start legal proceedings.

Mr Stanton told the Chronicle & Echo he would be willing to see the matter through to the courts.

A spokeswoman for the borough council confirmed that a member of the borough council legal department had received the writ from Mr Stanton on Friday.

nick.spoors@northantsnews.co.uk