London Tribunals Appeal Process

Tribunal staff first check that the appeal can be registered. The case must identify the correct PCN and enforcement authority, be filed by the appellant or an authorised representative and normally arrive within 28 days beginning with service of the Notice of Rejection.

Once registered, London Tribunals gives the case a reference, notifies the enforcement authority and confirms whether it will be decided at a personal hearing or on the documents. The appellant should keep the registration notice because it identifies the timetable and the method for adding evidence.

The ETA Annual Report 2024-2025 says hearing arrangements must provide at least 21 days' notice under the regulations. Adjudicators also allow a further seven-day safeguard when setting a date so both parties have a fair opportunity to prepare.

The enforcement authority must provide the evidence on which it relies. A typical pack contains the PCN history, Civil Enforcement Officer notes or camera evidence, photographs, the Notice to Owner or postal PCN, representations, Notice of Rejection, Traffic Management Order material and an authority case summary.

The evidence should prove the contravention and show that the statutory enforcement steps were followed. The appellant should compare every date, image, location, sign, document and assertion with the original PCN record. A case summary is the authority's argument, not independent evidence.

London Tribunals' public guidance uses three-day and five-day descriptions for authority evidence in different procedural contexts. If the evidence has not arrived five days before the listed hearing or expected paper decision, contact the tribunal immediately and record the query.

Read the evidence pack as soon as it arrives. A reply should address material points that were not available when the appeal was lodged, including new photographs, video extracts, Traffic Management Order provisions, officer notes or assertions about what the appellant said.

The reply should be focused:

1. Identify the authority statement or exhibit being answered.
2. Explain the factual or legal error.
3. Refer to the appellant's evidence by a clear label.
4. State why the issue supports the statutory appeal ground.
5. Ask the adjudicator for the specific finding required.

Do not assume that uploading more documents makes the case stronger. Evidence is useful when the appeal explains what it proves and how it answers the authority's allegation.

London Tribunals conducts most personal hearings remotely using Microsoft Teams. The appellant joins at the scheduled time, confirms their identity and explains the appeal to the adjudicator. A face-to-face hearing at 24 Martin Lane may be arranged on application where appropriate.

The hearing is a judicial proceeding, not an informal meeting with the council. Evidence is not normally given on oath, but the appellant must tell the truth. The adjudicator may ask about the alleged contravention, documents, timing, signage, mitigation and any inconsistency in the evidence.

The enforcement authority usually relies on its written pack and often does not attend. Its absence does not automatically mean the appeal will be allowed. The adjudicator still decides whether the PCN is enforceable on the evidence and statutory grounds.

A postal or paper decision is made without the appellant attending. The adjudicator reads the appeal, authority evidence and any reply, then issues written reasons. This can suit a case where the documents establish the issue clearly.

The appellant should not expect the adjudicator to investigate the case, contact witnesses or obtain missing documents. London Tribunals states that each party must provide the evidence on which it relies.

If an important document cannot be obtained before the decision date, explain what it is, why it matters and what has been done to obtain it. The adjudicator may adjourn the case or issue directions, but that is a judicial decision rather than an automatic extension.

The adjudicator applies the statutory ground available for the type of PCN. Parking, bus lane, moving traffic and road-user charging schemes have different legal provisions. The decision must be based on the correct scheme rather than a general view that the penalty is unfair.

The adjudicator may decide questions such as whether the contravention occurred, whether the recipient was liable, whether the vehicle was taken without consent, whether the penalty exceeded the applicable amount or whether a procedural impropriety occurred where that ground is available.

Mitigation alone does not normally permit an adjudicator to cancel a lawfully issued PCN. In an exceptional case, the adjudicator may recommend that the authority reconsider compelling circumstances. The authority then decides whether to accept the recommendation.

An allowed appeal cancels the PCN. The same outcome is recorded when the enforcement authority decides not to contest the case. In 2024/25, the official ETA workbook records 19,625 allowed decisions, including 11,105 authority non-contests.

A refused appeal leaves the penalty payable. London Tribunals says the motorist normally has a further 28 days from the decision to pay before the enforcement authority increases the charge. The tribunal does not normally restore the original discount.

An adjourned case remains open. The adjudicator may request a document, require a party to answer a question, change the hearing format or set a further date. Comply with every direction by the stated deadline and keep proof of submission.

There is no automatic right of appeal against an adjudicator's decision. A party may request a review on limited grounds, including an administrative error, a good reason for failing to attend, new evidence that could not reasonably have been known earlier or the interests of justice.

The review request should normally be made within 14 days. It must identify the permitted ground and explain precisely why it applies. Disagreement with the result or an attempt to repeat the original appeal is not enough.

The 2024/25 annual report records 2,224 review applications, of which 1,754 were rejected and 159 resulted in the original decision being overturned. Judicial review in the High Court is a separate public-law procedure and must normally be started promptly and no later than three months. Legal advice should be obtained before considering it.

London Tribunals publishes ETA and RUCA decisions in separate statutory registers. The register can identify previous decisions involving the same authority, location, contravention, sign or procedural issue.

Previous tribunal decisions can be persuasive but are not automatically binding. The current adjudicator must decide the appeal from its own facts, evidence and law. A case citation should therefore be checked against the published decision and connected to the issue actually before the tribunal.

The 2024/25 annual report describes an appeal containing seven AI-generated case citations where five cases did not exist and the two genuine decisions were irrelevant. Invented or misapplied authorities damage credibility. Every cited decision must be real, relevant and accurately described.