What can I do about a car parking charge?

Q: I’ve always been able to park for free in my work’s carpark but recently I got a ticket when a new parking company took over. Work said they'd get it sorted and I didn’t need to do anything, but I'm worried about additional charges or being taken to court. Should I just pay the fine for now?

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A: We're sorry to hear about your situation. Before taking any action, we'd suggest talking to your employer as they've said they will handle it.

Check any policy or handbook that your workplace has on this and whether there's anything in your contract about parking. If you're not happy with your employer's response or the issue isn’t resolved, you may want to seek advice.

Usually, if you disagree with a parking fine and think you have valid grounds for it to be cancelled, we'd suggest you appeal it.

If you pay the fine, it’s usually seen as admitting the ticket was right, so you'll no longer have the option to appeal and you won't get your money back.

Putting in an initial appeal against a parking ticket is free, whatever type of ticket you have — just make sure you don’t miss the deadline. How many days you have and how to appeal will depend on the type of ticket.

There are a few main ticket types. Penalty Charge Notices or Excess Charge Notices are normally issued by the council on public land, like council car parks. Parking Charge Notices are issued by landowners or parking companies on private land, like supermarket carparks.