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Who can appeal
Where a PCN, notice to owner or enforcement notice has been served by post, we will only enter into correspondence with the registered keeper of the vehicle as recorded by the DVLA. The registered keeper may email or write to us to advise that they have appointed a representative to deal with the matter on their behalf and only then will we correspond with the named representative.
View evidence or pay your PCN online
You can view photographic evidence of your contravention (if any was taken) and appeal or pay your PCN on our website. You will need your PCN number and vehicle registration.
Appeal against a parking PCN
When a PCN is served you can pay at a discounted rate of 50%, providing that you pay within 14 days of the PCN being served. If the PCN has been served on the basis of evidence recorded by an approved device (e.g. a mobile CCTV unit) the discounted rate of 50% must be paid within 21 days of the date of issue of the notice.
However, should you wish to make a representation against the issuing of the PCN you may do so:
- online
Appeal your PCN
or - by sending a letter which is signed and dated to Merton Parking Services at the Civic Centre address below:
Merton Parking Services
Merton Civic Centre
London Road
Morden
SM4 5DX
Please ensure that you quote the PCN number in all correspondence.
Because a PCN is a legal document, representation by phone for any part of the appeal process will not be accepted.
All representations received within 14 days of the PCN being served will be investigated in a strict chronological order. If we decline to cancel the PCN you will be informed in writing and be given a further 14 days to pay at the discounted rate. If the PCN was served on the basis of evidence recorded by an approved device you will also be given a further 14 days to pay at the discounted rate.
Notice to owner (NTO) or enforcement notice
If you do not wish to pay and still wish to contest the issue of the PCN then you must await the issue of the 'notice to owner' (NTO) or 'enforcement notice'. This will allow you another opportunity to make formal representations against the issuing of the PCN. Please note that the discounted rate of payment does not apply at this stage, and should you decide to pay the PCN, this will be at the normal rate, depending on the contravention code displayed on the ticket.
Please note, if you have been sent a PCN document by post for a moving traffic contravention, this document is both the PCN and the NTO.
All representations at the NTO or enforcement notice stage must be received in writing in one of the following ways:
- by completion of the notice to owner documents
- online:
Appeal your PCN - or by sending a letter which is signed and dated to Merton Parking Services at the Civic Centre address below:
Merton Parking Services
Merton Civic Centre
London Road
Morden
SM4 5DX
Appeal to the London Tribunals
If our response to the representation made at the NTO or enforcement notice stage is not to cancel it, then you will receive a 'notice of rejection'. You will also receive details of how you can apply to the London Tribunals for them to adjudicate on this matter. You cannot apply to London Tribunals until you have received a notice of rejection.
If you decide to ask for adjudication from London Tribunals you will be notified when the case is to be heard. You can attend in person or the case can be heard in your absence. There are no additional costs to you for using London Tribunals and the adjudicator's decision is binding on both parties.
If the adjudicator decides that the 34J PCN is valid, you will be given a further 28 days to pay it at the higher rate. After an appeal has been heard, you have no further right to appeal.
For further information see the London Tribunals website
Charge certificate
If you fail to pay the PCN within this period, the charges are then increased by a further 50%.
Failure to pay the PCN at this point or Charge Certificate stage will mean that we are entitled to and will register the debt at County Court for a summons. This will be passed the council's internal bailiffs team.
Once passed for collection to the bailiff, the bailiff is entitled to collect the outstanding charge plus any legitimate costs they have incurred. The council only receives the current charge certificate charge plus the County Court charge for registration.
Should you wish to make payment once your case has been passed to the bailiff, payment must be made to the Bailiff section quoting their bailiff reference number.
PCNs relating to cashless parking
| Reason for PCN being issued | Our response |
|---|---|
| You entered the wrong vehicle registration entered (i.e., you entered one or more digits incorrectly or chosen the wrong vehicle from your account). | If you have inadvertently paid for the wrong vehicle registration number, but you have paid the correct tariff, we will cancel the PCN issued. You must correct the VRM on your account to ensure the same mistake does not happen again. To help us trace your payment please provide a copy of your receipt or transaction reference number. RingGo will always ask if you want to park the vehicle that you most recently paid for so if you have more than one vehicle on your account, please ensure you are paying for the right one. |
| Wrong parking location entered | We will cancel the PCN that you receive for this mistake, provided that:
If you have paid for a location that is not operated by the London Borough of Merton we will uphold the PCN. |
| You paid for parking using RingGo but the Civil Enforcement Officer (CEO) did not see your payment details on their handheld device | Occasionally, the handheld devices that our enforcement officers use may lose signal or there may be a slight delay in receiving payment details from RingGo. Where this happens, please provide a copy of your receipt or transaction reference number. When we can see that you paid for the period that you were parked we will cancel the PCN. |
| The PCN was issued while you were paying on RingGo. | If you started making the payment before the PCN was issued we will cancel the PCN, otherwise it will be upheld. In order for us to trace your payment, please provide a copy of your receipt or transaction reference number. We recommend that you pay using RingGo while you are still at your car. |
| You were unable to pay by RingGo because your phone battery or credit had run out or you had no signal. | You should always ensure that you have the means to pay for parking. If you are unable to use your phone you should pay with cash at a ticket machine. We would not cancel a PCN in these circumstances. Please note that the usual rules regarding getting change apply – if you are unable to use RingGo and have no change to pay for parking you are not permitted to leave your vehicle to get change. |
| You were unable to use RingGo because the service was down or unavailable. | Where RingGo is the only option for payment and we have confirmation from RingGo that the service was down or unavailable, we will cancel any PCN issued. We would not cancel a PCN in these circumstances where a 'pay and display' ticket machine is available. |
Find out more about cashless parking: Pay by mobile phone for parking
Freedom of information requests
Please do not include requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 with your appeal. If you wish to request such information, please follow the guidance on our Freedom of Information page.