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The basic question is this, which organisation caused the delay ? Reading your narrative, it seems that it was the DVLA delay that prevented Stirling council from issuing your permit, as the rules, (I assume) are that they must have sight of the V5 before issuing the permit.

Yes, you paid in full for your permit, but it had not been issued on the day you received the PCN. SO the next question is this, does the permit start when it is paid for, or when it is issued ? If the former, then it seems to me you have a good case to take to the scottish adjudicator. Your permit was effectively "in escrow" waiting for your bona fides in the form of the V5, and the council are behaving unfairly. It is a duty of public bodies to behave fairly although Scottish law may be a bit different. Does the Common Law apply in Scotland ?

Thanks — that’s exactly what I am wondering. Yes, my temporary permit had expired, but I was just waiting on the final piece of admin (the V5) before the council could issue the full permit. I’d already paid in full, so as far as I’m concerned, I was entitled to the service. Basically, my permanent permit has now been issued with an expiry date of the end of April 2026 — which is one year (and two weeks) from the date I originally paid for it. However, it was only officially issued on 16 June 2025. So it looks like the "clock" on the permit started from the date of payment in April, not from the date it was actually issued in June.

In any sensible system, this would be seen as a misunderstanding — not an attempt to break the law or abuse the rules. There was no loss to the council, no misuse, no fraud — just a small paperwork delay. Rejecting my appeal feels heavy-handed and unfair.

I’m not totally sure how this plays under Scottish law, but I’d be really interested if anyone knows whether common law principles (like fairness or proportionality) apply here. I’m willing to take it to a formal appeal or the Scottish Parking Appeals Service if there’s a decent chance of success.

Hi everyone,

This is my first post here, and I really appreciate any advice or thoughts you can offer.

I'm dealing with a frustrating and frankly unfair situation with my local council. A few months ago, I paid in full for a one-year residential parking permit. While waiting for my V5 document, the council issued me a temporary permit, which had a one-month expiry. Unfortunately, while still waiting on the V5, the temporary permit expired — and I came back one day to find a Penalty Charge Notice on my windscreen.

Even though I had already paid for the full permit and was entitled to park there, the council rejected my appeal on the grounds that I didn’t have a valid permit on display. Yes, the temp permit had technically expired — but this was clearly just an administrative delay. Why is the council behaving like a bully toward residents acting in good faith?

Why am I being punished the same as someone who didn’t pay for a permit at all? I wasn’t trying to dodge the rules. I paid, I was following the process, and it would’ve taken them 30 seconds to confirm that and cancel the fine. But no — appeal rejected. I’ve now been told to either pay £50 now or risk it going up to £100 if I go down the formal appeal route and lose, or up to 150£.

Has anyone dealt with something similar? Do I stand a chance if I formally challenge this — either directly with the council or through the Scottish Parking Appeals Service? £50 is a considerable money for me at the moment, and I genuinely feel this charge is unjust, specially after having paid 96£ for a full year permit.

Thanks again for reading — any guidance would be really appreciated. [ Guests cannot view attachments ] [ Guests cannot view attachments ]

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