Labour Demands Refund for "Illegal" Tickets

Mahfouz  pledges to help drivers fined unfairly

Labour’s Transport Spokesman Cllr Bassam Mahfouz has demanded that Ealing Council give an immediate refund to all residents who were issued parking tickets for offences relating to a yellow box junction in Greenford.

At the same time, Bassam said he would like to hear from residents elsewhere in Ealing and Acton who feel there are issues with yellow box junctions, or who feel they have been caught in one unfairly when driving around the Borough. "I will help residents in this situation with getting their payments back from the Council," says Labour's Transport Spokesman.

Last year, following a flurry of complaints and representations that the yellow box junction in Greenford Broadway was wrongly designed, the Council’s action was challenged and the box was found to be illegal. Outstanding appeals were accepted but hundreds of people in Ealing had already paid up, in fear of having their fine doubled, or in some cases trebled.

Now, the Department for Transport has called on councils to “seriously consider” repayment of illegal fines.

Labour’s Bassam Mahfouz said, “There were lots of complaints about this yellow box junction last year and I told Ealing’s Parking Department that the box was simply too large. The Council’s blunt response was that residents should pay up or appeal. But the problem for residents is that when you appeal, you also risk doubling the fine and that’s one thing many couldn’t afford.

“The Council fined these residents when it was obvious they had done nothing wrong. Hundreds of residents were pressured into paying fines that should never have been levied,” added Cllr Mahfouz.

“The Council should now follow government guidance and make an immediate refund to the residents who were unfairly fined,” said Cllr Mahfouz.
Bob White, 85, of Grange Court, Northolt said, “I’ve been driving for 60 years and never received a parking ticket up until that point. I am a very conscientious driver and would not put others in danger, so I was shocked to receive the notice in the post. I spoke to the parking officers who told me that I was in the wrong and that I had to pay up or appeal. I didn’t want to risk appearing in court and the fine going up further, as I am on a fixed income, so I paid it. I do hope that Bassam is successful in getting the council to give me this money back, it really was unfair.”

In May 2006, Ealing Council failed to take government guidance on parking into account when London Councils instructed Ealing to change the design of their tickets. The Council’s failure to act on that occasion led to £2.9million being lost for incorrectly issued fines between May and August 2006

June 13, 2008