Appeals

Grounds of Appeal - London Lorry Control Scheme for Drivers

These are the only grounds on which you may appeal against a Lorry Ban Penalty Charge Notice as a driver:

1. You were not the person in control of the vehicle at the time of the alleged contravention
2. There was no contravention of the lorry ban order. For example, the vehicle was not in the restricted zone at the time of the contravention, or the vehicle had been used in accordance with a permit.
3. The penalty exceeded the amount applicable in the circumstances of the case.
   For example, you are being asked to pay the wrong amount for the penalty charge, or the penalty had not been served or was served out of time. London Councils TEC should normally send you the Penalty Charge Notice within 28 days of the alleged contravention, but they sometimes have longer.

Grounds for Appeal - London Lorry Control Scheme for Operators

These are the only grounds on which you may appeal against a Lorry Ban Penalty Charge Notice as an operator:

1. You were not the operator of the vehicle at the time of the alleged contravention. The operator is defined as the holder of any operators' licence in respect of that vehicle under section 2 of the Goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) Act 1995.
2. There was no contravention of the lorry ban order. For example, the vehicle was not in the restricted zone at the time of the contravention, or the vehicle had been used in accordance with a permit.
3. The penalty exceeded the amount applicable in the circumstances. For example, you are being asked to pay the wrong amount for the penalty charge, or the penalty had not been served, or was served out of time. London Councils TEC should normally send you the Penalty Charge Notice within 28 days of the alleged contravention, but they sometimes have longer.

How the Parking and Traffic Appeals Service can help you

The Parking and Traffic Appeals Service, PATAS, provides a free independent adjudication service for deciding disputed parking and bus lane penalties issued by local authorities for parking or bus lane offences.

If you are a motorist who wants to challenge a penalty notice you must first contact the Local Authority that issued the penalty. If your appeal is rejected, you have the right to appeal to the independent adjudicator, by contacting PATAS.

PATAS aim to provide a fast, efficient service that gives fair and impartial decisions, is easy to understand and is as informal as possible. They have a team of Adjudicators who decide the appeals and can direct the local authority involved to cancel the penalty.

Consultants to the former Lord Chancellor's Department have described PATAS as 'the most user focused aspect of justice in the country'

The PATAS hearing centre is at New Zealand House, near Trafalgar Square in central London. The hearing centre has disabled access, and hearing appointments are arranged, according to motorist preferences, between 8:00am and 7:30pm during the week and between 9:00am and 1:00pm on Saturdays.

If you would like any further information about the appeals procedure or need to use this service, please visit the PATAS website.