notification of unauthorised parking - Is it legal

[asla]

Bit angry, we've just found that a london borough council library car park we've used freely for years is now having restrictions. We received a notification of unauthorised parking ticket from UK Parking Control Ltd on our windscreen, but were surprised to see that the warden number was missing in the box below the ticket number box.

So a couple of questions come to mind:

(1) Does the omission of the number mean that the notice is immediately invalid or can they add it in a subsequent ticket? (seems to be two bites of the cherry) Which regulation should I quote if it is illegal?

(2) The fact it is council property, do UK Parking Control have to adhere to council rules and their appeals structure or will it be treated like the private land malarkey I've read about on this site?

Many thanks for all your advice in advance

[interesting]

Is it an actual parking charge ?

I know that UKPC when they take out new contracts issue 'warnings' for the first few days - sort of a polite reminder not to park again, new rules and enforcement is in place.

[green_and_mean]

Why didn't you go back into the library and ask why they had given you a ticket?

[asla]

Its not a parking charge but a "Notification of unauthorised Parking" which says on it the owner/registered keeper of the vehicle will receive a charge certificate from Royal mail within 28 days. Seems odd to me - either you get a ticket straight away or not at all. Do Councils have separate rules?

As for the library, they were just apologetic and said the council are using new people who are very keen!

[green_and_mean]

I think you will be getting a 'fine' which is really just an invoice through the post by the sound of things. I would wait until it comes and kick up a fuss with the Council about penalising Library users for parking. I assume it is a public car park not 'staff only' or such like?

[asla]

Its a library carpark and we were attending a library-sponsored event.

However, all that aside, I'm more interested in the legal side to all this. Surely it still comes down to whether you should get a ticket straight away or not. Else whats the point of the NOUP? Then we still have the issue about the NOUP missing information. If it doesnt need to be filled in, then I dont see the need for issuing it in the first place.

[green_and_mean]

There is no legal frame work for these sort of parking tickets they could just as easily just written down your VRM and posted the invoice for parking to you weeks later. Read the threads at the top of the board regarding private parking tickets. I would however suggest you will get more common sense dealing with the Council and requesting they contact the parking co to cancel any outstanding 'ticket' as you where attending the library.