Parking tickets gaffe could cost council almost £500,000

A council’s parking tickets blunder could open the floodgates for drivers to claim almost £500,000 in refunds.

Angus Council has lost an appeal after it provided phone and online payment methods on the tickets – but no postal address.

In October, a government watchdog ruled that 18,000 tickets issued by the local authority were not valid.

Now the council has failed in an appeal to the Parking and Bus Lane Tribunal for Scotland against the decision.

The validity of £474,000 of such tickets – the 18,000 handed out since 2017 – is now in doubt.

A damning 12-page finding by the tribunal has upheld a previous decision which found a flaw in the wording of the ticket, rendering it invalid.

A hearing triggered by a Forfar resident’s complaint against a parking ticket led the adjudicator to find in the driver’s favour, arguing that the wording did not comply with the law.

Legislation states that a parking ticket must contain an address to which payment of the fine can be sent.

Although the council’s ticket contains a website address and phone number, the postal address refers only to appeals.

Thecouncilquicklydemanded a review of the decision, with its director of legal and democratic services, Jackie Buchan, claiming “there is no statutory requirement to facilitate payment by cash or by cheque”.

The fact that no advance notice was given to the council that the competency of the parking ticket was going to be raised also formed part of its arguments.

However, referring to payments, the Parking and Bus Lane Tribunal for Scotland adjudicator Colin Dunipace said it would appear the council had “unilaterally decided that payments by cash or cheque are not valid”.

Mr Dunipace also pointed out that, although the council was not given prior notice that the competency of the ticket was going to be raised at the hearing, it could have requested an adjournment but failed to do so.

The local authority remained silent about what action it will take or if people in Angus who have previously received a parking ticket can apply for a refund.

Carnoustie and District independent councillor Brian Boyd said: “This administration’s handling of any parkingrelated issue has been frankly catastrophic.

“They have stumbled from one parking blunder to another and, quite frankly, it is our town centres that are paying the price for it.”