Melisandre wrote:Yes next step pay the motorist their money back.
Any decent person/organisation would. Sadly, I can't see this happening with CCC as they don't seem to have an ounce of decency amongst them.
Melisandre wrote:Yes next step pay the motorist their money back.
The £3,000 council meeting about parking that achieved nothing
An Extraordinary General Meeting of Coventry City Council called over the "damning" parking tribunal review of the city centre's Restricted Parking Zone cost residents around £3,000 - despite being described by many councillors as a "complete waste of time".
The meeting was called today (June 12) by Conservative Councillors to discuss the Traffic Penalty Tribunal's decision to uphold six appeals against parking tickets in the Restricted Parking Zone within the Ring Road back in May and force the council to apologise for the "poor" scheme.
Chief adjudicator of the TPT Caroline Sheppard OBE said at the time that signs were "confusing" and there were not enough signs repeated to warn drivers of the restrictions.
But the motion was defeated and amended to say “that the RPZ should continue as it is a lawful RPZ capable of being legally enforced".
Leader of the council George Duggins (Labour) said he was considering billing those Conservative councillors who had put forward and supported the motion for the full cost of the meeting during a "time of austerity".
He called it a “misuse” of council and officer time.
Cllr Tim Mayer said the Traffic Penalty Tribunal (TPT) ruling was “damning and quite frankly embarrassing”.
He said Coventry City Council must remember that the TPT is the highest authority and stated the council is wrong.
He said: “It is my opinion that although Coventry City Council continue to state the RPZ...should be continued to be enforced is absolutely wrong.”
He asked why if the RPZ was correct had the council erected around 100 new signs since the decision - asking why money was being wasted if the RPZ was enforceable.
He said he believed this showed the council had “lost confidence” in the RPZ and that it is unenforceable unless adequate signage is introduced.
Conservative Cllr Tim Sawdon said it should have “dawned” on the council’s members that something was wrong when so many tickets were being issued.
He said the TPT adjudicator Caroline Sheppard OBE was an expert so to “casually dismiss” her response is “totally irresponsible”.
Cllr Glenn Williams said the adjudicator was clear that this scheme was "poor" and "Coventry City Council had taken legal advice at great cost to the public to try and argue with it".
But Labour councillors reiterated that the RPZ was enforceable, and that legal advice sought by a barrister had confirmed that.
Cllr Duggins described the meeting as the “epitome of a waste of time”.
Cllr Mayer said it was "a shame" the meeting had to be called today but the Labour party in control of the council seemed "incapable of answering a straight question”.
He said he was not going to apologise to Cllr Innes for “doing his job and holding her to account”.
The motion also urged Councillor Jayne Innes, cabinet member for city services, to accept responsibility for "misleading" the council and called on her to apologise to residents.
Cllr Innes said she would "never dream of misleading anyone let alone full council" and in turn asked for an apology from Cllr Mayer."
Coventry council's parking fines scheme STILL 'inadequate', national tribunal rules
COVENTRY City Council is being urged to scrap its parking fines scheme as a national tribunal continues to label it ‘inadequate’ – despite extra signs.
It comes a year on from a scathing report by the independent legal experts at the Traffic Penalty Tribunal (TPT).
Campaigners now say that if the council refuses to abolish it, it should contest upheld parking fines appeals at the High Court.
That would test whether the city centre Restricted Parking Zone (RPZ) is legitimate in the eyes of the country’s top lawyers, campaigners add.
Campaigners have now highlighted four known recent cases of appeals by motorists against parking fines being upheld by the TPT, the most recent in March.
In each case the TPT ruled the scheme was inadequate as it failed to fairly inform motorists with information and signage.
Despite the council adding signs last year amid the furore, the TPT continues to rule signage is confusing – and even fails to notify motorists they are in the RPZ.
In each of the four rulings, the independent lawyers instructed the fines should be cancelled due to ‘inadequate information’ being provided to motorists, including in Spon Street.
A ruling by adjudicator Sarah Tozzi in March said: “RPZs are intended for use in small defined areas or single streets.
“Here the zone is large and encompasses many streets, so it is larger than recommended.
“I cannot tell where the nearest entry zone is in relation to this road. In any event the entry zone signs cause confusion.
“I find that inadequate information was provided about the restriction. I therefore find that the contravention did not occur.”
The council declined to respond.
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