Parking permit 'mix up' cars towed away - no council reminder for vehicles

Published: 21 April 2011
by JOSIE HINTON

MOTORISTS claim Camden Council towed their cars away from outside their homes due to a mix-up over parking permits.

The Town Hall has insisted the problems were “blips” but the New Journal has been contacted by a number of angry residents who say they were affected after the council failed to send them the usual annual renewal reminder.

Council bosses normally send a letter or email before taking action like towing away cars from drivers who have not renewed their permits. Those affected have been stung with fines or asked to pay £240 to retrieve their vehicle from the pound.

Zuber Uddin, 29, who lives on Drummond Street in Euston, pays £104 each year to park his car outside his home. But on April 13 he received a text informing him the vehicle had been towed away.

Mr Uddin said: “If they can send a text to say they have taken my car away, why can’t they text a reminder to pay. 

“For the past three years I have paid for an annual parking permit  with a reminder being sent out close to the time of renewal to prompt me to pay for another year’s privilege. I’m not sure privilege is the right word since it’s a constant nightmare to find a parking spot, a task that sometimes takes me a 10-minute walk away from my house in order to park the car over night. We local residents battle with the over-subscribed parking bay allowance around the Drummond Street area and spill over as far as Park Village East on occasions.

“The fine would pay for a permit for two years.”

Another victim, Primrose Hill resident Kevin Bucknell, said he had bought a permit for the past 11 years. He decided to write a warning letter to members of the Primrose Hill Community Association after he was forced to pay £80 in fines when his permit expired.

“It is unfair not to tell residents who are already in the database that the system will be changed,” said Mr Bucknell. “It’s one thing when you're starting off with new people, but it is different for people who expect the letter to arrive. I can see this is legal but it is certainly sneaky, particularly as they have also removed the expiry date from the back of the permit.”

A Town Hall spokesman said: “The council has not changed the way it issues parking permit reminders. We send either a postal or email reminder, depending on which preference is stated by the resident and what details they provide. Nevertheless, this is a courtesy measure for permit holders, and it remains the responsibility of the permit holder to renew appropriately.

“Following the expiry of a permit we give a seven-day grace period so that the car can be parked in a residential bay for a week before removal action is taken. If a permit is not renewed we have a duty to remove it to preserve parking spaces for residents. If a vehicle is removed and we have the owner’s telephone number, we send a text to let them know that their car has been impounded. If a resident believes that they have not received our reminder or could not renew their permit due to mitigating circumstances they should appeal.”