Lib Dem's Keith Moffitt hits out over parking fine, after Town Hall fail to send out reminder

Published: 09 June 2011
by JOSIE HINTON 

THE former Lib Dem leader of Camden Council has accused the Labour-run Town Hall of attempting to “get” honest motorists.

Councillor Keith Moffitt this week became the latest in a long line of residents in the borough to receive parking ticket due to a mix-up over permits. Some residents have even had their vehicles towed away.

The West Hampstead councillor received two tickets when his permit expired after the council failed to send the annual reminder.

Council bosses normally send a letter or email before taking action.

The Town Hall has insisted it has not changed its policy but a number of residents have contacted the New Journal after being forced to pay up to £240 to retrieve towed vehicles.

Cllr Moffitt said: “I certainly don’t expect special treatment as a councillor if I get it wrong, but this time I saw red. 

“For many years I’ve renewed my annual resident’s parking permit on time, helped by a reminder letter or email. I accept that ultimately the responsibility rests with the permit holder, as Camden’s parking service tells me.

“However, if a permit holder has been used to a reliable system of reminders that has functioned well for years and has used that to assist them in discharging that responsibility, it seems harsh for Camden to insist that the permit holder should be penalised if the reminder system fails.

“It feels as if Camden’s Labour administration is once more out to ‘get’ motorists who make honest mistakes.”

A Town Hall spokeswoman said: “After being advised by Councillor Moffitt that he had not received a reminder email we asked our ICT [Information and Communication Technology] department to investigate the situation. 

“It was confirmed that due to the relocation of a computer server, reminder emails issued by the council over a short period of time were blank, rather than having the relevant content. 

“It is the responsibility of motorists to renew their parking permits on time and the reminders are sent out of courtesy. 

“Residents can when they receive their permit in the post attach a sticker to the rear of the permit which displays the expiry date clearly.”

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