Variation in drivers being let off council parking charges

Figures show less than half – 38 per cent – of all appeals against parking charges in Fareham are accepted. But in East Hampshire 45 per cent were accepted.

On average just over a third (38 per cent) of initial driver challenges to on-street parking fines made to local authorities in England between January and October 2016 were successful, according to figures obtained by the Press Association.

The figures for councils in the area were:

n Fareham Borough Council, 299 accepted, 767 appeals made – 38.98 per cent.

n East Hampshire District Council, 255 accepted, 561 made – 45.45 per cent.

But there was huge variation between councils, with Runnymede, Surrey, accepting just nine per cent of appeals while Basingstoke and Deane, – just 30 miles away – approved 95 per cent.

Guy Anker, managing editor at MoneySavingExpert.com, said: ‘If the councils accepting the fewest challenges are wrongly rejecting claims, it’s an absolute disgrace.’

The figures show that Runnymede, famous for being where King John sealed the Magna Carta, received 1,011 challenges to parking fines in the requested period, with only 93 being accepted.

By contrast, Basingstoke and Deane accepted 540 challenges out of 566 – a rate of more than 95 per cent.

Fareham’s Executive Member for Public Protection, Cllr Trevor Cartwright, said: ‘Our civil enforcement officers will only serve a penalty charge notice (PCN) if a vehicle has contravened regulations or restrictions.

‘The owner has a right to appeal and each case will be looked at individually. If there is a valid reason as to why the PCN has been challenged, then we will revoke it to ensure that we are fair to our customers.’