Penalties and Enforcements

Fylde Council issued off-street penalty charge notice

Reference numbers begin: FY
As the off-street enforcement authority, Fylde Council is responsible for the enforcement of the car parks. Please use one of the links below to challenge or pay your parking fine.

 

Cheques and postal orders are to be made payable to Chipside Lancashire. Please write the PCN number on the reverse. Please do not send cash through the post.

If you would prefer to submit either your challenge or payment by post please send them to:
Chipside Lancashire
PO Box 3584
Chippenham
Wiltshire
SN15 9EF

Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) are charged at either a lower rate (£50) or a higher rate (£70) depending on the contravention for which the PCN has been issued. These charges are discounted by 50% (either £25 or £35) if payment is made within 14 days of the PCN being issued.

Challenge a penalty notice

  • To challenge a penalty notice you must make your initial challenge in writing.
  • If your informal challenge is rejected, you can make formal representations to the council.
  • If the council rejects your formal representations you can appeal to the independent Parking Adjudicator.

Stage One – Initial informal challenge

You can submit your written challenge online or in writing as set out above.

We don’t accept challenges in person or over the phone due to audit procedures.

We aim to respond to all correspondence within 10 working days.

In order to protect your 14 day 50% discount period, your written initial challenge needs to be received by us within the first 14 days after the Penalty Charge Notice has been issued. If we receive your correspondence later than the first 14 days, you will be liable to pay the full charge amount should your Penalty Charge Notice be upheld.

State your case clearly and simply. If you have evidence to support your claims such as receipts or witness statements, send these in. We recommend that you always send copies only and hold on to the originals.

When we have received your correspondence and investigated your case, we will write back to you, either accepting or rejecting your challenge.

If you have written within 14 days of receiving the Penalty Charge Notice and Chipside Lancashire reject your challenge, you should be offered the chance to pay the 14 day discounted amount.

Stage Two – Formal Representations to Chipside Lancashire

If your informal challenge is rejected and you do not pay the charge, a Notice to Owner will be sent to the person or company that is the legally registered owner of the vehicle. At this stage, the full penalty charge notice will be payable and no 50% discount will be offered. This notice goes to the person believed to be the owner of the vehicle as under the Traffic Management Act 2004, it is the owner of the vehicle who is liable for any penalty charge notice(s) issued to it; irrespective of who the driver was.

If you receive a Notice to Owner form, you can use the form to make formal representations. The Notice to Owner form details the legal grounds on which a formal representation may be made. You must make your representations within 28 days of receiving the form. Again, state your case clearly and simply. If you have evidence to support your case, such as receipts or witness statements; send copies in with your completed form (always send copies only and hold on to the originals).

If you do not think you meet one of the legal grounds for making a representation, you may still state your case as we are still able to exercise discretion and cancel the Penalty Charge Notice at this stage.

Should your Penalty Charge Notice be cancelled at this stage, you will receive a letter informing you of this. If it is upheld you will be sent a letter explaining why. This is called a Notice of Rejection of Representations. With this letter, you should receive a form called a Notice of Appeal, allowing you to appeal to the Independent Parking Adjudicator.

Stage Three – Appealing to the Independent Parking Adjudicator

You may only appeal to the Independent Parking Adjudicator, who operate under the Traffic Penalty Tribunal, if you have first used the Notice to Owner form to make representations to Chipside Lancashire and have received their Notice of Rejection of Representations. Your ‘Notice of Rejection of Representations’ will explain how to appeal to the Independent Parking Adjudicator. Your appeal should be sent to the Independent Parking Adjudicator within 28 days of the Notice of Rejection of Representations being sent.

The decision made by the independent adjudicator is final and is binding on both the council and the appellant.

If the Independent Parking Adjudicator rejects your appeal, you must pay the penalty charge.

For further details of the Traffic Penalty Tribunal please visit here (external link). You may also find a copy of Fylde Council’s Traffic Regulation Order and amendments in their TRO Library.

Should you fail to follow stages 2 or 3 or you do not pay the penalty charge within 28 days of the Independent Parking Adjudicator rejecting your appeal then a Charge Certificate will be sent which increases the amount due by 50% of the original charge. If this is not paid within 14 days then the case will be submitted to the Traffic Enforcement Centre at Northampton County Court to register the outstanding debt which will incur a further £8. If payment is still not made a Warrant of Execution will be obtained and handed to a certified Enforcement Agent (bailiff) to collect the outstanding amount due. Enforcement Agents apply further costs as set by Central Government.

Please note

Fylde Borough Council, as the Off -Street Enforcement Authority is responsible for the enforcement of the car parks. The Off-Street Civil Enforcement Officers (CEO) are employed by NSL Group. Our notice processing is dealt with by Chipside Lancashire, who will process payments, deal with initial challenges and process the penalty charge notices (PCNs). Both companies will act under instructions issued by Fylde Borough Council.

Lancashire County Council issued on-street penalty charge

Reference numbers begin: LO
Lancashire County Council administer street parking fines. Please use one of the links below to challenge or pay your parking fine.

You can use Lancashire Parking Services online payment facility which accepts the following credit/debit cards: Visa (including Electron), MasterCard, Delta, Maestro and Solo.

Please note Lancashire Parking Services do not accept American Express.