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#Post#: 90138--------------------------------------------------
CPS parking fine (Reading) Pre-allocated parking, but missed to
display a permit
DIR By: aleksandrk
Date: September 16, 2025, 4:45 am
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Hi,
The driver parked in a car park bay that was pre-booked using
the app YourParkingSpace, booked from 8am - 7pm. The driver
missed to display the relevant permit, which was part of the
instructions. There is a sign that asks for permit display.
I have sent a complaint to the parking app, but they washed
their hands of the situation by saying that the email had it
written that I needed to get a parking permit from the owner.
I have since clarified with the parking spot owner, and he said
that no one would have been on site to provide the parking
permit on Saturday morning, and in either case it is very rarely
observed. He was surprised to hear I got a fine and recommended
I send an appeal to the parking company.
Situation happened on 13/09/25 at 09:12 am in Reading
Parking charge from CPS - Combined Parking Solutions
Would be grateful for advice on what to do in this situation:
Would an appeal have any chance of success or I am going to get
messed about? Is there an example of an appeal letter that would
work? What are alternative (and hopefully more productive) ways
of addressing this fine?
Photos of the ticket below:
HTML https://ibb.co/HLW6Yfdw
HTML https://ibb.co/HLW6Yfdw
HTML https://ibb.co/JRGSR3KP
HTML https://ibb.co/JRGSR3KP
HTML https://ibb.co/t0g8kcZ
HTML https://ibb.co/t0g8kcZ
Thanks in advance,
#Post#: 90192--------------------------------------------------
Re: CPS parking fine (Reading) Pre-allocated parking, but missed
to display a permit
DIR By: b789
Date: September 16, 2025, 8:23 am
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The Notice to Driver (NtD) fails PoFA para 7(2)(a) as there is
no "period of parking" stated. Whilst it says "The period of
parking to which this charge relates is the period immediately
preceding the "time of issue" as stated overleaf.", that is not
a "period of parking" and has been shown to be inadequate to
hold a Keeper liable if the driver is not identified in the
persuasive appellate case of Brennan v PPS (2023).
As there is no legal obligation for the Keeper to identify the
driver to an unregulated private parking firm, there is no way
they can rely on PoFA to hold the Keeper liable.
What you should do, ONLY as the Keeper, is appeal by email on
day 27, which will be Friday 10th October, to
info@combinedparkingsolutions.co.uk and CC yourself. There is
method behind the reason for appealing on day 27, which will
give you even more ammunition if they fall for the trap.
Appeal with the following and do not try to overthink or edit
the wording except to fill the placeholders for your
details/VRM/PCN number:
--- Quote ---
> Subject: Appeal for PCN number: 29339; Issued: 13/09/2025;
VRM: [VRM]
>
> Dear Sirs,
>
> I am the keeper of the vehicle and I dispute your 'parking
charge'. I deny any liability or contractual agreement and I
will be making a complaint about your predatory conduct to your
client landowner.
>
> As your Notice to Driver (NtD) does not fully comply with ALL
the requirements of PoFA 2012, you are unable to hold the keeper
of the vehicle liable for the charge. Partial or even
substantial compliance is not sufficient. There will be no
admission as to who was driving and no inference or assumptions
can be drawn. CPS has relied on contract law allegations of
breach against the driver only.
>
> The registered keeper cannot be presumed or inferred to have
been the driver, nor pursued under some twisted interpretation
of the law of agency. Your NtD can only hold the driver liable.
CPS have no hope at IAS, so you are urged to save us both a
complete waste of time and cancel the PCN.
>
> Yours faithfully
>
> [Your name]
>
> [Full postal address]
--- End Quote ---
Whilst they can't hold you liable as the Keeper, by issuing the
appeal on day 27, they are possible going to respond to it by
simply rejecting it without ever issuing a postal Notice to
Keeper (NtK) in breach of PoFA para 8(4-6). This would
strengthen any subsequent appeal to the IAS and would definitely
win should they be so stupid as to try and litigate it.
#Post#: 90257--------------------------------------------------
Re: CPS parking fine (Reading) Pre-allocated parking, but missed
to display a permit
DIR By: aleksandrk
Date: September 16, 2025, 2:28 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Thanks a lot for your detailed and definitely unique reply.
To satisfy my lack of understanding, because in this case the
driver is parked with the owner's permission, would I get
anywhere by explaining the situation?
#Post#: 90285--------------------------------------------------
Re: CPS parking fine (Reading) Pre-allocated parking, but missed
to display a permit
DIR By: DWMB2
Date: September 16, 2025, 4:26 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: aleksandrk link ---
>
> To satisfy my lack of understanding, because in this case the
driver is parked with the owner's permission, would I get
anywhere by explaining the situation?
>
--- End Quote ---
Not with CPS that's for sure - they'll argue that their terms
and conditions prevail, and that the 'owner' is not able to
grant you permission to breach these terms. The phrase Nemo dat
quod non habet springs to mind.
That doesn't mean that argument is right, but it could get
convoluted. You would need to find out what rights the 'owner'
has in respect to the space - you would need to see the terms of
his lease, and he in turn would likely need to offer up some
evidence. Given that he has seen fit to sub-let his parking
space without considering the possibility that those booking it
might receive PCNs seems to suggest he might not have the most
in-depth knowledge of the contents of his lease or the parking
setup at the property.
There's every chance he has rights in his lease that supersede
the T&Cs that CPS are seeking to enforce, but as you are not the
leaseholder it risks becoming a complicated argument, so the
PoFA point might be an easier one to advance.
#Post#: 114318--------------------------------------------------
Re: CPS parking fine (Reading) Pre-allocated parking, but missed
to display a permit
DIR By: aleksandrk
Date: March 25, 2026, 4:20 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Sorry for bringing up an old post. I want to post an update on
the situation and ask another question.
To sum up what happened since my last post - the parking space
app Your Parking Space has communicated with the space owner and
the space owner agreed to sort the fine out - this happened
within days after my original post here. In the months since, I
have clarified this situation multiple times and the parking
space owner has multiple times stated that the fine has been
cancelled. However I keep getting letters from the Debt
Collection Company, and contacting CPS they claim that the fine
is still active. I don't know how to proceed from this
in-between-land, and advice is appreciated.
As an add-on, as I said, I contacted the debt collection agency
as well as CPS. The Debt Collectors could not tell me anything
about the fine, and just said to contact the fine issuer, which
was CPS. This is also what the parking space app provider,
YourParkingSpace suggested to do.
Contacting CPS, after sending them an email I eventually had a
phone call from a man named P. It was the most abusive phone
call I have had in many years. P had found this thread, made me
feel guilty about posting it and claimed that nothing else
happened after I left the thread a few months ago, and I just
ignored the matter. In reality the situation was addressed well
within the initial 28 day period.
Furthermore, he claimed that I should have contacted CPS myself
to deal with the matter, rather than through the parking space
provider, which does not make sense because I got the service
from YourParkingSpace and they are the first point of contact
for issues.
He said other things too, which I can't fully recall, but one of
them was questioning whether the parking space owner had the
right to sublet his space. Also, he claimed to have sourced the
additional details he needed from this thread and from my phone
call, which was recorded by him. He also said something about
the fine being passed onto them after an initial period of
appeal - this may be the issue if fine was sorted by the parking
space owner either after that period or with another authority.
My question here is what to do next and how to deal with this
type of abusive approach from a company? Thanks in advance!
#Post#: 114332--------------------------------------------------
Re: CPS parking fine (Reading) Pre-allocated parking, but missed
to display a permit
DIR By: DWMB2
Date: March 25, 2026, 5:46 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Don't speak to them on the phone. Block their number and engage
with them only in writing. If they claim to have recorded the
conversation, I would submit to their DPO
(mailto:info@combinedparkingsolutions.co.uk
info@combinedparkingsolutions.co.uk) a Subject Access Request
for all the personal data they hold on you. See what comes back.
In the meantime, keep on at YourParkingSpace - they claim to
have resolved the matter, but appear not to have done so. Do you
have the details of the 'owner' of the space?
#Post#: 114338--------------------------------------------------
Re: CPS parking fine (Reading) Pre-allocated parking, but missed
to display a permit
DIR By: aleksandrk
Date: March 25, 2026, 6:08 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Thanks for your quick reply. I'll send them a Subject Access
Request, as per Which.com explanation (link below) - do you
recommend I use the ICO website, or send them an email directly?
Yes, I can get the contact details of the parking space owner.
I've hesitated contacting him because the case has been such a
headache and the last thing I want is an emotional meltdown.
Regardless, other than asking for verbal clarification that the
fine was dealt with, what else can I ask for?
I've added a small detail from my conversation with CPS - 'He
also said something about the fine being passed onto them after
an initial period of appeal'. Is there another organization that
either I or the parking space owner could have been in touch
with during that initial period or after?
FYI, it is certain that they are monitoring this thread because
P pulled it up during the conversation and verified the PCN
number from the photo I provided. Mind boggling to me that a
legitimate company providing a service would do that though...
Which.com explanation of Subject Access Request:
HTML https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/how-do-i-make-a-subject-access-request-sar-a6axO2u2RKof
#Post#: 114344--------------------------------------------------
Re: CPS parking fine (Reading) Pre-allocated parking, but missed
to display a permit
DIR By: DWMB2
Date: March 25, 2026, 6:39 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Did you ever receive a Notice to Keeper?
I'd just send the SAR by email.
--- Quote from: aleksandrk link ---
>
> other than asking for verbal clarification that the fine was
dealt with, what else can I ask for?
>
--- End Quote ---
The first thing you should do is stop doing things verbally. A
verbal promise is worth as much as the paper it isn't written
on. Do everything in writing so you have a record of it. He says
the matter has been dealt with, ask him for the written
confirmation he has from CPS that it has been. If he doesn't
have that, it hasn't been dealt with, and you should ask him to
do so. You could mention that if CPS take legal action again
you, that you may seek to recover any losses from him.
--- Quote from: aleksandrk link ---
>
> FYI, it is certain that they are monitoring this thread
--- End Quote ---
They're one of the smaller parking companies out there if their
KADOE request volumes and company accounts are anything to go by
(they have 1 company director and had 1 employee in 2024). When
you're issuing as few tickets as they are, it's potentially
worth your while to actually trawl the forums to see if one
makes it on here.
They might want to change the line in their sales brochure where
they describe themselves as "non-confrontational". And perhaps
the bit where they say "We never engage in a telephone
conversation with people who have been issued tickets (for legal
reasons)".
#Post#: 114683--------------------------------------------------
Re: CPS parking fine (Reading) Pre-allocated parking, but missed
to display a permit
DIR By: aleksandrk
Date: March 28, 2026, 5:57 am
---------------------------------------------------------
I have asked multiple times to get some sort of evidence
regarding the fine being sorted, but so far nothing has been
received. I don't know whether I am being messed around with by
the parking space owner, or by YourParkingSpace or by CPS. If
the matter does move to court, do you know if my email log would
be sufficient evidence?
Yes, I did receive a notice to keeper. It took me a while to
find it, but here it is:
HTML https://ibb.co/S7JW1BXV
The notice does mention the Independent Appeals Service,
www.theIAS.org as well as the IPC, www.theIPC.info Do you know
if either of these two services are worth my while.
Thanks in advance!
#Post#: 117332--------------------------------------------------
Re: CPS parking fine (Reading) Pre-allocated parking, but missed
to display a permit
DIR By: aleksandrk
Date: April 29, 2026, 7:40 am
---------------------------------------------------------
A final update to this situation, which has now been resolved.
A few days after my last post CPS decided to cancel the ticket.
Also, cudos to YourParkingSpace, who offered to pay for the
ticket themselves, just prior to the cancellation of the ticket
above.
Lastly, want to say thank you to these forums and in particular
to users DWMB2 and b789 who helped me a lot.
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