Herefordshire council backtracks on city parking fine

A Hereford woman has won a battle with Herefordshire Council over a parking fine at a spot where she had a valid permit to park.

Sally Mayne, of Portfield Street, said she was hit with the parking control notice (PCN) despite ensuring she had a track record of four years’ consecutive permits to park in the street, which lacks off-street parking.

“We have to pay £30 a year for a residents parking permit, then the same again for a visitor’s permit,” she said. “They don’t issue you a new one until the old one runs out.”

Her new permit was due to come into effect on October 22, but by the following day had yet to arrive. With no current permit displayed in her car, a parking fine of £50 was slapped on it.

She appealed against this. But while the council acknowledged she had paid for the parking permit, it still maintained that she was in contravention of its conditions by not displaying it.

“You have to pay up within 14 days otherwise it more than doubles,” she said. “I hear this sort of thing from friends all the time, and they too are challenging their tickets.”

Ms Mayne, who is currently unemployed, added: “It’s hard enough already without the council is preying on law-abiding citizens who are already struggling financially”.

When asked about the apparent unfairness of Ms Mayne’s parking ticket, a Herefordshire Council spokesperson confirmed it “has been rescinded, and the customer has been advised of this”.

Its letter to Ms Mayne, council officials confirmed she had renewed the permit six days before it was due to expire, and “whilst it was posted within our two-week period, there was a delay in you receiving this in time”.

It was therefore cancelling the fine “on this sole occasion”.

On the apparent role of the Local Democracy Reporting Service in resolving the matter, Ms Mayne said: “You have helped enormously. They weren’t going to do anything otherwise.”