IT has come to my notice that a young driver with no previous parking penalties, has been fined for parking in Witton Street after visiting a local shop.
She overstayed the allowed time by three minutes. This was some five days before CWAC implemented national legislation to give a 10-minute ‘grace period’ for parking fines in order to stop local authorities being ‘over zealous’.
She appealed as is her right, citing the above circumstances. Seven weeks later, she received a letter from the parking department in Ellesmere Port, imposing the £50 fine. The letter was headed with her name, spelled incorrectly, but was addressed to the owner of the car, a family member. Not exactly efficiency from a borough which has recently won national awards.
The slogan in Northwich’s Information Centre is ‘Customer First’. A second letter pointing out the injustice of the situation has been ignored.
I wonder whether this is the best way to treat a young driver using local shops. A £50 fine for over-running by three minutes. CWAC could have been lenient and acted within the spirit of the new legislation but it wasn’t and didn’t.
Frances D Findlay Northwich
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