Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Press Release: Tribunal Hearing may expose Worcester City Council's Parking Tickets as illegal

Press Release:Immediate
The People's No Campaign


"Legal Challenge questions the legality of Worcester City Council's Parking Fines "
Robin Decrittenden vs. Worcester City Council
Appeal No. WC 49.
Friday 18th November 2005 11am: Fownes Hotel Worcester

"National implications are that £1,000,000,000 a year revenue from Parking Fines is under threat"

On Friday 18th November 2005 at 11am at the Fownes Hotel in Worcester a legal hearing is to take place between Robin Decrittenden and Worcester City Council.
It is to be heard before the National Parking Adjudication Service and will have massive national implications.

The hearing will be the first public airing of the use of the Bill of Rights Act Defence against a Penalty Charge Notice issued, in this instance, under Worcester City Council's Decriminalised Parking Enforcement regime.

The potential of the case is that it could expose the fact that the Government and Local Authorities operating Decriminalised Parking Enforcement regimes are acting unlawfully.

The consequence could be that they have no legal authority to impose 'fines' thereby threatening a massive source of revenue which is now approaching £1,000,000,000 per annum!

Appellant Robin Decrittenden states,"The purpose of this challenge is to put the politicians back in their kennels by requiring them to obey the law that regulates Parliament itself."

Metric Martyrs and People's No Campaign Director, Neil Herron states, "This is the first head on conflict exposing the highly suspect Metric Martyrs Judgment. If the Judgment is correct then decriminalised parking fines cannot be levied. Alternatively, the Metric Martyrs were wrongly convicted and are innocent."

A large crowd of supporters and motorists is anticipated.
NPAS state that proceedings can be recorded and the venue has seating for over a hundred.

ENDS

Contact:

Neil Herron Tel. 0191 565 7143 (office)Tel. 07776 202045 (mobile)
metricmartyrs@btconnect.com or mail@thepeoplesnocampaign.co.uk
Robin Decrittenden 01902 417 045

More information
http://www.neilherron.blogspot.com/ and http://www.thepeoplesnocampaign.co.uk/
Latest News here

Location and Photo / Interview Opportunity
Interviews and photo opportunity at the front of the hotel 10.45am and at the conclusion of the hearing.
Fownes Hotel, City Walls Road, Worcester
(telephone number 01905-613151)
To view a map of the hotel and the nearest train station click here

Notes for Editors:

1. Decriminalised Parking Enforcement (DPE) was set up under the 1991 Road Traffic Act initially for London and now more and more local authorities are applying to create their own DPE regimes.
Locally the outcome of this appeal will affect Birmingham, Coventry, Sandwell...can be viewed here

2. Previously Parking Offences were covered by the 1984 Road Traffic Regulation Act whereby the right to challenge a criminal offence was through the Magistrates Court. DPE does not allow challenge through the courts and it is the Registered Keeper who is pursued for the 'fine' NOT the driver.

3. The issue has been subject recently of a great deal of press and media interest:
(i) Trevor Macdonald 'Tonight' programme November 4th 2005
(ii) Radio 4 'You and Yours' can be heard here
(iii) Sunday Telegraph here and here
(iv) The Independent here
(v) Further examples of Local authorities being forced by the campaign to refund money can be seen here and here

4. The National Parking Adjudication Service claims it is independent yet it is funded at the rate of 60p for EVERY Penalty Charge Notice issued by the local authority.
NPAS staff have been forced to apologise for 'unprofessional' behaviour. Read the report and the formal apologies here
NPAS also claim that they are a 'Court of Law' yet have supplied evidence to the contrary.This can be viewed here. There is an ongoing complaint to the Law Society.

5. The subject of 'out of control' parking enforcement intended as a 'cash cow' for local authorities is attracting massive national and local coverage. It is an issue that fills up local letters pages and jams the switchboards of radio stations with incensed motorists.

6. For further information regarding the background to the Appeal please click here

7. The same campaign team were involved in helping Austrian Landlady, Andrea Schutz avoid prosecution under the EU Metrication Directive for selling beer by the litre (a criminal offence) at her pub, The Cardinal's Hat in the centre of Worcester. Read the story here.

8. Christopher Gill is the Chairman of the Freedom Association and former Conservative MP for Ludlow and was a member of John Major's Government when the 1991 Road Traffic Act went through Parliament. He will also be available for interview.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

they will get round it though Neill, you know they will

Rob

Anonymous said...

I thought it was a very interesting tribunal. Roger Decrittenden presented a very well thought out and well argued case. Neil's evidence was very useful in demonstrating that NPAS cannot be impartial between the Councils which pay it and the motorist. However the adjudicator himself committed himself to absolute impartiality. The case built round the Declaration of Rights, the Bill of Rights and the Metric Martyrs judgement was compelling. The outcome will be faascinating I cannot see how the adjudicator can do other than refer it to a cCourt of Law as recommended by Roger.

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