Free Traffic Legal Advice
Live cases legal advice => Civil penalty charge notices (Councils, TFL and so on) => Topic started by: RootieTootie on August 13, 2025, 08:32:12 pm
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Says no payment due so looks like they've cancelled but update if anything arrives.
(https://i.ibb.co/WvzrFr4G/Screenshot-2025-11-22-at-21-38-33.png)
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Still heard nothing from the council re this PCN. Can I assume it's been thrown out?
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Hello!
Apologies, missed this notification.
Still heard nothing re the PCN.
I'm the registered keeper and all details up to date.
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Shoddy procedures by the council because abuse of BBs is rife and allowing expired badges to stay in circulation is foolish. But c'est la vie.
Whether it's of any relevance in the scheme of things you won't know until you receive a reply to your informal reps.
Thinking ahead:
Who is the registered keeper;
Are their DVLA details current?
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I checked on the Leeds City Council website about the blue badge renewal process and there's nothing that says it should be returned in any of the webpages before filling out your details. Even in the 'change your details' section, it says you can carry on using your old badge until the new one arrives but nothing about returning an old badge.
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My point is that if the council do not require the return of an expired BB as they should, then this increases the chance of this sort of accident occurring. You might want to look at the renewal paperwork. Bear in mind that the enforcement authority won't know anything about the procedures regarding renewal of BBs.
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I wasn't aware of this and don't believe my partner has ever returned an expired badge. Do you believe this would effect the decision? He'll happily return it!
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OP, should the expired badge not have been returned?
The BB booklet refers to this:
Returning the badge
You must return the badge securely to your local council if:
the badge has expired
Perhaps Leeds City Council's(presumably) procedures are different. If so, then particularly in the case of your partner's condition, not requiring the return of the expired badge could give rise to the mistake made here.
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I've still not received a response following my online challenge. It said in the automatic email response "Thank you for contacting us regarding Penalty Charge Notice LS31347230. Please note that the above Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) will be placed on hold pending our investigations.We aim to respond to all correspondence within 15 working days. Therefore, there is no need to send any further communication."
Is this an unusually long time to wait for a response? It's been almost a month.
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Thanks, I've found the online option. It wasn't immediately obvious.
We'll soon find out what it's made of...
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There must be an online challenge section on their website surely.
They would have a heart of stone not to cancel this.
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Good evening,
Just posting an amended letter. There doesn't seem to be an email option for challenging the PCN. Should I send this in registered/recorded post, or will standard post do with proof of postage?
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to challenge the above Penalty Charge Notice issued on 12th August 2025 for parking in a disabled bay. I was driving my partner, who is registered blind and a Blue Badge holder, and displayed their badge in the windscreen.
Unfortunately, my partner’s expired badge was mistakenly placed at the front of the windowed wallet instead of their current valid one which expires in. Both badges were in the same wallet, and I hadn’t realised the valid badge wasn’t on display which it usually was. My partner later remembered that he’d dropped his wallet and must have put the badges back in the wrong order and due to his vision impairment, he didn’t realise he’d put the invalid badge on top.
I have enclosed:
-A photograph taken at the time showing both badges taken in the location of the PCN
-A close-up of the valid Blue Badge showing it was in date on 12th August 2025
-A photograph of my partner holding both badges
This was a genuine mistake and my partner was fully entitled to use the disabled bay. I do understand it was my responsibility to check the badge. As it had been valid when used only the day prior to 12th August, I had been on automatic pilot in just adjusting the clock and didn’t notice the wrong badge was displaying.
This is the first time I have ever received a ticket of this nature, and I have always made every effort to follow the rules when driving my partner.
We rely on the Blue Badge to maintain my partner’s independence and enable them to attend essential appointments, so we take its proper use very seriously.
My partner wishes me to mention that, while the Blue Badge has the word ‘front’ in braille, it does not provide the expiry date in braille. This makes it very difficult for him to determine if a badge is valid, or not. It would be helpful for others in a similar situation if expiry dates could be made accessible in braille, or a tactile format.
I respectfully ask that, in light of the evidence provided and the genuine nature of this mistake, the PCN be cancelled.
Thank you for your understanding and consideration.
Kind regards,
[Name]
[Address]
[Contact Information]
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Thanks for feedback so far. Noted @Incandescent.
Fair enough @H C Andersen. Happy to amend the letter accordingly. I was just in automatic pilot updating the clock without thinking to check the date as it had been renewed a while ago, but fair enough it's my responsibility.
@Enceladus, it was 2024 so not sure why he's kept it in the wallet. Not something I can say was a recent update. Just a silly oversight on both our parts.
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How long out of date was the displayed blue badge?
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OP, I don't want to appear harsh but let's be clear pl, it's the driver's obligation to display a valid exemption, not the passenger's. I think you should rephrase.
It was not your partner's fault as none could attach to them, it was yours.
By all means set the scene, but then accept that you made a mistake in not checking the BB which they provided and then ask the authority to exercise discretion because your defence goes to mitigation only IMO.
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I suggest you alter this : -
....who is blind
to this
...who is a registered blind person
Also add in a copy of whatever document he has to say he is registered as blind.
Apart from that, OK
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Hello there,
My partner’s totally blind and we both travelled into Leeds City Centre as he wanted to go swimming. We parked in a disabled bay and displayed his blue badge with the correct time. It was about 9.00pm. The disabled bay time restriction actually ended at 10pm. At 9.45pm my car was issued a PCN. I realised that my partner’s old blue badge was on display which had expired and his new one that's valid until 2027 was hidden underneath. Unknown to me, he had dropped the wallet earlier in the day and put the back the display cards in the wrong order (I didn’t realise he still had his out-of-date badge in the wallet). Incidentally, blue badges do not have the expiry date embossed with braille even though it does say in braille “front”. This was a genuine error and I took a picture of both badges side by side in situ and of my partner holding both.
I’d be grateful to understand the best way to proceed to contest this. I’ve drafted the letter below for your thoughts.
Here is the PCN front and back:
https://freeimage.host/i/FtFJg7S
https://freeimage.host/i/FtFJU22
Street view link (please note these bays are now disabled bays not club car bays - this google image is 5 years old): https://maps.app.goo.gl/fRc6mogjDVTGjxPQA
Proposed letter:
Dear [Council/Issuer Name],
I am writing to challenge the above Penalty Charge Notice issued on [date] for parking in a disabled bay. I was driving my partner, who is blind and a Blue Badge holder, and displayed their badge in the windscreen.
Unfortunately, my partner’s expired badge was mistakenly placed at the front of the badge wallet instead of their current valid one. Both badges were in the same wallet, and due to my partner’s visual impairment, he could not tell that the expired badge was showing. I have enclosed:
-A photograph taken at the time showing both badges taken in the location of the PCN
-A close-up of the valid Blue Badge showing it was in date on [date of ticket]
-A photograph of my partner holding both badges
This was a genuine mistake — my partner was fully entitled to use the disabled bay.
This is the first time I have ever received a ticket of this nature, and I have always made every effort to follow the rules when driving my partner.
We rely on the Blue Badge to maintain my partner’s independence and enable them to attend essential appointments, so we take its proper use very seriously.
My partner also wishes me to mention that while the Blue Badge has the word “front” in braille, it does not provide the expiry date in braille. This makes it very difficult to distinguish between valid and expired badges if both are in the wallet. It would be helpful for others in a similar situation if expiry dates could be made accessible in braille or tactile format.
I respectfully ask that, in light of the evidence provided and the genuine nature of this mistake, the PCN be cancelled.
Thank you for your understanding and consideration.
Kind regards,
[Name]
[Address]
[Contact Information]