Free Traffic Legal Advice

Hi, I'm hoping someone might be able to offer some advice. My father recently received a Parking Charge Notice (PCN) from UK CPM Ltd. We submitted an appeal, but unfortunately, it was rejected.


In their response, they advised that we could either pay the charge or escalate the appeal to the IAS (Independent Appeals Service) using their Standard Appeals process.


It has now been 13 days since we received the rejection, and we understand we have a total of 28 days to appeal to the IAS. We're looking for guidance on the best next steps to take.


Attached is the PCN, below is the initial appeal:


Dear Sir/Madam,


I am writing to formally appeal against the above-mentioned Parking Charge Notice issued to my father, the registered keeper of the vehicle, in relation to an incident that occurred on 23rd April 2025 at Trinity Close, London E11.


My father is a registered disabled person, an OAP, and a widower. He is nearly 80 years of age and is currently undergoing treatment for prostate cancer. He has also recently undergone knee surgery, which has significantly limited his mobility and ability to walk long distances. Furthermore, he was suffering from a severe urine infection at the time of the incident, which added to his physical distress.


On the day in question, my father needed urgent access to toilet facilities. Due to his urgent medical need and walking difficulties, he parked as close as possible to the community centre (Indian Muslim Federation Hall, Paul Shekleton House, 38 Trinity Cl, London E11 4RP), clearly displaying his valid Blue Badge on the dashboard. He was away from the vehicle for no more than 10 minutes.


Unfortunately, he did not realise that the road was privately managed and returned to find a Parking Charge Notice issued.


He did not park in a way that caused obstruction or posed a danger. This was a genuine medical emergency and his actions were both reasonable and necessary given his condition.


We respectfully request that you consider the circumstances with compassion and understanding. The Equality Act 2010 places a duty on service providers, including private parking operators, to make reasonable adjustments for disabled individuals. Issuing a charge under these circumstances, particularly to a vulnerable elderly person in distress, risks breaching these obligations and could be viewed as discriminatory.


In light of the above, I kindly request that the Parking Charge Notice be cancelled on compassionate, medical, and legal grounds. Supporting documents, including a copy of his Blue Badge and medical letters, can be provided upon request.


We look forward to your understanding and confirmation that this charge has been cancelled.


This was their rejection:


Dear Mr Ghulam Ali Adam,

Thank you for your appeal against the above Parking Charge Notice.

At UK CPM we consider all appeals on a case-by-case basis. We take each appeal very seriously and thoroughly investigate any evidence that has been provided. We appreciate your circumstances and understand this is not a situation anyone would like to find themselves in; however, these parking conditions have been put in place to ensure fair usage for all motorists and support the needs of our client. After careful consideration, it is unfortunate that I am writing to you today to advise that on this occasion, your appeal has been unsuccessful.

The decision to uphold your parking charge notice has been made on the following basis.
Whilst we note the comments and reason for appeal, as per our photographic evidence, the vehicle was parked in contravention of the advertised terms and conditions. As the vehicle was parked in an area where no parking is allowed, we can confirm that this PCN has been issued correctly.

Either due to the reason for issue and/or the insufficient evidence provided to support the details of your appeal, we have considered this PCN and found that it does not fall under the category of Annex F the Appeals Charter of the Single Code of Practice. Therefore, if no further evidence is provided, we will deem this to be our final decision.
You have now reached the end of our internal appeals procedure and therefore you now have two options; either pay or appeal to the Independent Appeals Service (IAS) - you cannot do both.

To make payment of the total amount due as shown above, please use one of the following payment options;
Online: www.paymyticket.co.uk
Telephone: 0345 463 4040 (24hr)
Post: Payments & Collections, PO Box 3114, Lancing, BN15 5BR

Alternatively, if you do not agree with your internal appeal outcome and you wish to dispute the matter further, as you have complied with our internal appeals procedure you may use, and we will engage with, the IAS Standard Appeals Service providing you lodge an appeal to them within 28 days of this rejection.

The Independent Appeals Service (www.theIAS.org) provides an Alternative Dispute Resolution scheme for disputes of this type. If you decide to appeal to the IAS, you will need to visit their website and use your PCN reference and corresponding vehicle registration. All PCN's will be uploaded to the IAS website by the end of this working day.

If you appeal this charge further then you will lose the ability to pay at the reduced rate (if applicable). In the event that your IAS appeal is unsuccessful, the full amount for the PCN will then be payable. If you lodge an appeal with the IAS and then subsequently pay the charge prior to that appeal being determined, then the appeal will be withdrawn, and you will not be given a further opportunity to contest the charge.

If you do not wish to dispute the matter further and payment is not received within 28 days of the date of this correspondence then additional charges may be incurred, for which you may be liable. If the charge continues to remain outstanding, the matter may be later referred for litigation in the County Court which could result in a County Court Judgment being made against you; this may impact on your ability to obtain credit in the future.


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I was under the impression that with private parking enforcement companies, the usual approach is to first respond to the PCN with an appeal—and then, if it’s rejected, you can simply ignore any further demands. Is that correct?

Oh dear... what a wasted effort that useless appeal was. Whilst they appear to have accepted that you are able to appeal on behalf of your father, please tell us in whose name the Notice to Keeper (NtK) was issued.

If you were responding as the Keeper of the vehicle and your father was the driver, then you may have a chance. However, if the NtK was addressed to your father, the Keeper of the vehicle, you have basically thrown him under the bus with that appeal.

What you need to know is that the NtK is not compliant with all the requirements of PoFA 2012, specifically paragraph 9(2)(a). That failure is enough to mean that they cannot transfer liability for the charge from the unknown (to them) driver to the known Keeper. You have managed to reveal the drivers identity if your father is the Keeper. As I mentioned, if you were responding as the Keeper on behalf of your father who was the driver, then you have a chance as they do not know the identity of the driver except that he is your father.

All is not lost though... You can fight this and not pay a penny to CPM, but it is a protracted process that will take anything from 9 months to a year+. If you follow the advice you receive here, it will eventually end after any court claim is either struck out or discontinued.

As you have appealed and been rejected (not unsurprisingly) all you can do for now is ignore the IAS as they are definitely not on your side and would be more wasted, futile effort. You just also ignore all the debt recovery useless letters you will receive. Debt collectors are powerless to actually do anything except to try and persuade the low-hanging fruit on the gullible tree to pay up out of ignorance and fear. Never, ever, ever enter into communication with a powerless debt collector. Simply ignore them.

Eventually you will receive a Letter of Claim (LoC) from whichever bulk litigation company they decide to use. When you receive the LoC, come back and we will provide a suitable response. In due course, you will receive an N1SDT Claim Form from the CNBC. Again, we will advise on how to respond and provide a suitable defence.

After the process goes through its course, eventually the claim will either be struck out or discontinued. I am always ready to accept £100 bets that this will be the outcome. Unfortunately, no one is ever willing to accept that bet, usually because they know the odd of me being wrong are about 1,000:1.

Of course you can ignore correspondence after a failed appeal, but if you mean that the bad advice you’ve previously been given is that nothing will happen subsequently, then you need to stop taking this advice.

Some parking companies don’t bother taking people to court, it’s true, so your advice probably came from one person who had dealings with one company.

The IAS is a waste of time, it upholds 4% of appeals, and yours won’t be one of them.

Ignore everything, especially from debt collectors, until you receive a Letter of Claim from a legal company representing CPM. Then come back here and you will receive advice.