FOI Campaign

PCN Appeals in London: FOI Guide for Couriers (2025)

“Let's give them a Piece of their Own Medicine!”

In my quest to defeat these thieves, I've created this guide on how we can fight back, like I said, "Give them a piece of their own medicine," the legal way.

The plan is to gather information about all London Councils, with a simple Freedom of Information Request (FoI) - although as you'll soon discover, these requests will bog them down, but (hopefully), we get information we can use to become a force for change - i.e make them deal with appeals the right way.

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Overview

I'm of the very firm belief that PCNs in London are being processed as a revenue stream first and a fairness mechanism second.

So, the aim here is simple: build a community of drivers and couriers who use the UK Freedom of Information Act to force better, lawful handling of PCNs — no template rejections, no rubber-stamping, proper consideration of evidence and discretion.

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What we’re trying to prove (or disprove) with data;

1. Working Hypothesis

   Councils issue very high PCN volumes but understaff their appeals teams.
2. Likely symptoms

   “Template” rejections that fail to consider evidence, Notices of Rejection served close to (or beyond) the 56-day limit, high Do-Not-Contest (DNC) rates at London Tribunals, and late/weak evidence packs.
3. Method

   We won’t argue this by opinion — only by data gathered consistently across London via FOI.

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Why FOI (and how it helps)

We have a legal right to recorded information; councils should reply within 20 (sometimes long - maybe 30-40) working days.

• If they say it’s too costly, you refine scope (they must “advise and assist”), because they will - the FoI is massive in scope.
• You can seek internal review and escalate to the ICO if needed.
• The result: comparable numbers that either validate councils’ processes—or show serious gaps.

That's assuming they don't withold information, of course.

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What to request from each council

See the Dowloads section below for text based document for easy copying and pasting.

Ask for the last 3–5 financial years plus year-to-date, split by parking / moving traffic / bus lane:.

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1. Volumes & outcomes

• PCNs issued per month.
• Informal challenges: received, accepted (%), discount re-offered after rejection (%).
• Formal representations: received, accepted (%), rejected (%).
• London Tribunals: appeals registered, outcomes (Allowed / Refused / DNC / Withdrawn), with counts and percentages.
• Late Notices of Rejection (served after 56 days): counts and %, and how many cancelled for this reason.
• Top cancellation reasons: e.g., loading accepted, signage/markings, Civil Enforcement Officer error, evidence unavailable, discretion, wrong Vehicle Registration Mark.

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2. Processing times & backlogs

• Average and median days: receipt of formal representations → service of Notice of Regection (by month).
• Average and median days: appeal registration → evidence pack served.
• End-of-month queues: informal challenges, formal reps, evidence packs.

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3. Staffing & structure

• Full time employed staff handling challenges/representations/appeals (by grade/band) and vacancy rate.
• If outsourced: supplier name(s), contract dates, Service Level Agreement/Key Performance Indicators, and any penalties/credits triggered.

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4. Templates, guidance & QA

• Current standard letter templates (informal rejection, Notice of Rejection, Charge Certificate, Tribunal cover letters).
• Internal guidance/Standard Operating Procedure on considering reps, exercising discretion (mitigation), avoiding fettered discretion.
• Any QA audits in the last 12 months on “failure to consider” or template overuse.

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5. Systems & automation

• Names/versions of back-office and any automation/AI used to generate letters or triage cases; rulebooks/config if held.

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6. Evidence & service

• % of moving-traffic/bus-lane cases where requested video was unavailable and recorded reasons.
• % of evidence packs served fewer than 3 working days before hearings (or not served).

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Priority subset (if they cite cost limits) - very likely!

Pre-empting the arguement that we're going above cost limits. Remember the goal of this campaign!

When they email back citing, "Cost Limits;

Narrow the scope;

• Monthly volumes & outcomes (including Do Not Contest and Allowed at Tribunal)
• Processing times and late - Notices of Rejection counts.
• Staffing Full time employees + standard templates used for appeals.
• Discretion policy and any QA/audit on “failure to consider”.

Legislation (ICO) - Advice and Assistance

The council’s legal duty (FOIA s.16) to help you get what you want, not just reject you. See - ico.org

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What they have to do (in practice):

• Clarify vague requests (ask what you really mean) instead of guessing or refusing.
• Explain what’s held / not held and where it’s likely to be.
• Help refine scope to stay under the cost limit (suggest date ranges, specific datasets, keywords, sampling).
• Suggest formats (CSV/XLSX) and explain fees/disbursements if any.
• Offer partial info or a workable subset rather than a blanket refusal.
• Transfer or signpost you if another authority holds it.

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How we’ll use the numbers (turning data into pressure)

Build a simple scoreboard (one row per council, per year) with these calculated fields:

• Did not Contest (DNC) rate = DNC ÷ Appeals Registered
• Motorist win rate = Allowed ÷ Appeals Decided
• Formal representation acceptance rate = Accepted ÷ Formal representations Received
• Late Notice of Rejection (NoR) % = Late NoRs ÷ Formal Reps Decided
• Caseworker load = (Challenges + Formal Reps + Evidence Packs) ÷ Full time employees
• Median NoR time (days) — flag spikes near 56 days

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Community playbook (“FOI Fridays”)

• Pick a council; copy the request.
• Submit and keep proof of sending.
• Diary a 21-day chase. If refused on cost, switch to the priority subset (above).
• When you get results, record them and call out the metrics above - let me know at YouTube (in the comments), or use the contact form here.

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Code of conduct

• Be firm but polite. Avoid duplicate requests for the same period.
• Ask for recorded data; don’t demand new analysis.
• Redact personal data before sharing. Focus on process, not individuals.

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My submission

Click to view.

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Downloads

Text Based FoI - First Request

A simple copy and paste version - .txt (opens in new window) for ease of submission.

Text Based FoI - Narrowed scope

Same as above - an email draft to copy and paste when the council cites "Cost Limits."

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Ready to Move Your Goods?

Whether you’re sending a marble dining table to London or relocating an antique cabinet to Manchester, we've got you covered.

If you’d rather leave the hard work to the experts, get an instant quote today, we use a dual system to generate a very precise price for you, and we'll honor that quote for six months;

• 1. Visit the distance based quotation page.
• 2. Visit the booking page, to add a packing time estimate.

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Call, text or WhatsApp message me (Lee) on 077 888 211 21.