Politicians condemn appeals process

A local politician said the Smart Parking employee concerned had failed to use his basic common sense before acting.

Murdo Fraser, who has campaigned against the firm, called for further training to prevent a repeat incident.

He said: “Whilst it is positive news that Smart Pa rk i n g h av e acknowledged their mistake, apologised and are making a donation to a charity, it is nonetheless an incident that should never have happened in the first place.

“This incident demonstrates Smart Parking’s appalling lack of customer service.

“Common sense would dictate that parking attendants should do a basic sweep of the building before locking the doors to guard against shutting anyone inside who is trying to leave, especially if this is before the car park’s midnight closing time.”

Those receiving parking tickets at private sites in Scotland can only appeal to the company which issued them, while motorists in England can then escalate their case to the Parking on Private Land Appeals (Popla) service.

Both Mr Fraser and Perth and north Perthshire MP Pete Wishart have received hundreds of complaints about Smart Parking and its operations in Perth and say it is time for appeals to be taken out of the hands of the company, and others like it.

Mr Fraser said: “I would like to see an independent appeals service launched for motorists to challenge their penalty charge notices and I would reiterate my previous call to the Scottish Government to introduce such a service.”

Mr Wishart said: “My office receives a constant stream of complaints about Smart Parking and other private parking operators in Perth. In an average week I get between 10 and 20 complaints about Smart Parking alone.

“It is time for the appeals process to be taken out of their hands.

“Asking motorists to appeal to the very company who is pursuing them does not give them much hope that their appeal will be dealt with fairly and quickly.”