PRESS RELEASE: 20th OCTOBER 2008 5pm
Tom Conti and Lord Lucas launch the Motorists Legal Challenge Fund
… Britain’s motorists encouraged to join the fight.
... the Court case that couldlead to £millions of parking tickets being cancelled.
Movie star Tom Conti, and Lord Lucas of Dingwall and Crudwell are leading the charge to raise a fighting fund initially for a court challenge to parking tickets and to then include legal challenges on other matters affecting Britain’s motorists.
They are patrons of the newly formed Motorists Legal Challenge Fund which has been set up to fight the corner of Britain’s beleaguered motorists and will be formally launched tomorrow.
Tom (66) has become involved because he’s a founder of the Motorists Action Group in London, where he is a long-term resident. He has put some of his own cash into the fund, which is backing the challenge which could impact on fines issued by councils across the UK.
The Scottish-born actor, who starred in the film Shirley Valentine and TV series Donovan, became a campaigner after he suffered “an unpleasant incident with some bailiffs” over a ticket and because he thinks the treatment of motorists is extremely unjust.
He said, “I just hate unfairness in government and there’s a vast amount being perpetrated against anybody with a vehicle — and that’s an awful lot of people. “The local authorities are supposed to be there to help the people rather than harass them, but at the moment people are being harassed.”
He doesn’t consider himself a political person but admits his high profile can help the cause.
“Politics and the whole right-wing, left-wing thing is nonsense. There’s only common sense really and an understanding of what human beings are — and they do not want to be dictated to,” he said.
The first case is being spearheaded by Sunderland campaigner Neil Herron, who runs the website
www.parkingappeals.co.uk .
Neil (45) has remortgaged his property to raise £60,000 for the fight and start the action says Tom Conti’s and Lord Lucas’ backing is vital.
He said, “I think Britain’s motorists have reached tipping point and are fed up being treated as a cash cow. The case needed to be lodged within three months and the only way to get the action launched was to effectively put my home on the line. Tom Conti and Lord Lucas have helped launch the Fund which will ensure that we can take this case forward and act on behalf of Britain’s motorists. It is essential that such matters are brought before the courts because the individual motorist faces such an inequality of arms when trying to seek justice.”
Britain''s motorists are urged to support the Motorists Legal Challenge to ensure an equality of arms for this and future battles. Herron is no stranger to campaigning and his most recent David against Goliath success has been with the Metric Martyrs Campaign which has forced a very public Government u-turn on enforced metrication and the concession that no-one else will be prosecuted for using imperial measures.
Parking enforcement has been used by many councils as a revenue raising stealth tax. The Lord Lucas who also chairs the Enforcement Law Reform Group, and the London Motorists Action Group recently told the BBC Radio 4''s PM programme that the enforcement of incorrectly signed parking areas "...is something that seems to me to be close to theft, and it probably would be adjudged as theft if one could ever get it to court."
"So it is extremely difficult to get local authorities to behave properly on this. There doesn''t seem to be an ombudsman who will take this seriously and central government really just treats this as part of the tax-raising system."
"It just generally makes people''s lives that bit more miserable"
The Case
The case of Herron v The Parking Adjudicator challenges the independence of the Traffic Penalty Tribunal (formerly the National Parking Adjudication Service).It is maintained that because the service is administered and funded by the councils with the adjudicators appointed by a committee of the councils then it cannot be perceived to be independent. This could impact on every ticket issued in England and Wales.
The second pillar of the case is that many parking tickets are invalid because of flaws in the regulations that cover Controlled Parking Zones. CPZs were designed to cut down on parking sign clutter by having a notice at an entry point that applies restrictions to several streets but because councils have deviated from the strict definition where only single yellow, double yellow or parking spaces are allowed in CPZs then parking tickets could be rendered invalid.
Support
Individuals, businesses and motoring groups have welcomed the action and the Motorists Legal Challenge Fund.
The Chairman of the Association of British Drivers, Brian Gregory said:
"As with speed cameras there is no one regulating the regulators in order to keep them honest. Some local councils have proved the old addage that absolute power corrupts absolutely, especially where there is the financial incentive of retaining the proceeds of decriminalised parking enforcement."
"If it is going to take Consumer Power to make the authorities toe the line, so be it. We are right behind Neil and his case and we shall be making a donation to the fund."
Edmund King, President of the Automobile Association says:
"The AA says motorists rightly expect the highest standard of accountability and compliance with the law and guidance regarding de-criminalised parking enforcement. It is unacceptable that some councils, which are granted parking enforcement powers by the Department for Transport, break the rules themselves."
"If they persist in breaking laws and rules after being advised of their errors they deserve to be challenged. However, the AA says things must be kept in proportion – we do need fair parking enforcement but some local authorities taint the good authorities that recognise and honour their responsibilities to the parking public."
Grant Davis of the London Cab Drivers Club says (watch his video clip here) "We have just donated £500 ... and we should all stand up to be counted and get behind the Motorists Legal Challenge. Where is the bulldog spirit? Come on, let''s wake up and let''s stop the abuse of motorists by local authorities issuing parking tickets to raise money. Get behind the campaign."
Register for s by e-mailing
info@motoristslegalchallenge.co.uk
ENDS
Anyone wishing to find out more can visit
www.motoristslegalchallenge.co.uk
SUPPORT
Donations can be made to:
MOTORISTS LEGAL CHALLENGE FUND
PO BOX 62228
LONDON
N8 1AG
Contact:
Simon Aldridge
Mob. 07973781655
Jim Douglas
Mob.07785918411
Neil Herron
Mob. 07776 202045
PHOTO / INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITY / NOTES FOR EDITORS
HANDING OVER OF A LARGE CHEQUE TO LORD LUCAS BY LONDON CABBIES 4.45 PM AT:
Fielden House, 13 Little College Street, off Abbey Gardens near the car park, SW1P
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