Please excuse the long post and emotion behind this but I am at my wits end. I received a PCN notice in April and responded to Ealing as follows:
“ I am not denying that my vehicle can clearly be seen in bus lane, however, I am looking for compassion and understanding for the day that it was. It was my birthday and my first without my mother who passed away at Christmas 2024 at 84 from undiagnosed Breast Cancer and my older sister is battling the same disease being at Stage 4. I spend most of my time in Ireland because of this. My nephew came over from my family home to accompany me back on 24th April and on 22nd April, the day of the offence and my birthday, we had been out but I became overwhelmed with grief. He left me home and decided to go to a local supermarket to buy me a gift. As he is unused to the roads he noticed too late that this was a no entry bus lane until 7pm (we do not have such things in the small town we are from) and he too was consumed by grief of losing his granny, a mother figure too as he had lost his mother (another sister) a few years before when she was 48 from Cancer. So I am looking for some help, I am not working following redundancy and am trying not to sign onto benefits until I sort myself out. Many thanks for your understanding.”
This was rejected and I received the attached letter from Ealing Council rejecting my ‘challenge’. I neglected to include, whether it would have helped or not, that I am not working. I was made redundant in 2023 but due to the nature of work I do, I cannot concentrate and have every right to look for sick benefit but the person I am means I will battle through but every penny matters and whilst £80 may not mean much to some, it is to me and it jumped to £160. I didn't see this until I returned again from a trip and challenged it again, pressing the point that I was not driving, my nephew was and I am really struggling, fallen into depression and I keep returning to Ireland as my sister has had more bad news regarding her cancer diagnosis and struggling mentally too so I have go and put on a brave face. But this is putting a very big burden on me. I not have had another notice and it has gone up to £240 and the threat if not paid they will apply for County Court Judgement. I am about to pay but if I do my trip in the next few days will have to be cancelled.
I'm not asking for anything much, I am asking for compassion and how I can deal with this or is it a lost cause ? I am too emotional and know I am not responding well to these.
