Parking Tickets
Civil Enforcement Officers (CEOs) enforce parking restrictions on Hackney’s streets with the exception of Red Routes, which are enforced by Transport for London (TfL). CEOs oversee the use of on-street parking facilities as well as Council operated car parks.
They will issue a parking ticket called a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) to any drivers found to be in contravention of parking regulations. The Traffic management Act 2004 states that the registered owner/keeper of a vehicle, not the driver, is liable for all parking penalties.
As of 1 July 2007, there are two charge bands for PCNs as implemented by government. If you are issued with a higher rate PCN, the charge is £120. If you pay within 14 days of the PCN being issued, the charge will be discounted to £60. If you are issued with a lower rate PCN, the charge is £80. If you pay within 14 days of the PCN being issued, the charge will be discounted to £40.
To pay your parking ticket
You can pay for your PCN by post, by phone, in person or online.
By post:
Complete the attached payment slip (attached to the PCN). If paying by credit or debit card (MasterCard, Visa, Maestro, Natwest Solo or Delta) include your card details on the payment slip
Alternatively make a cheque / postal order payable to 'London Borough of Hackney' and return with the payment slip to:
London Borough of Hackney
P.O. Box 39055
London
E8 1WT
By phone:
Please call 020 8356 5050. Alternatively call Hackney Service Centre on 0208 356 8877.
In person:
Please visit the: Parking Shop, 275 Mare Street, London, E8 1GR
Online:
You can also Pay Online
To make a representation
You can make a representation using the online forms to the right or by post. Alternatively, following the instructions on the reverse of the Notice to Owner and send your Representation to:
London Borough of Hackney
P.O. Box 39054
London
E8 1WS
Any representation sent in prior to the official Notice to Owner (NtO) is regarded as an informal challenge. Any representation in response to the NtO is regarded as a formal representation.
General enquiries can be made by calling 020 8356 8877.
If the full charge is not paid before the end of the period of 28 days beginning with the date of service of this notice, the London Borough of Hackney may serve a Notice to Owner (NTO) on the person who appears to them to be the owner of the vehicle. It is not possible to pay and make representations. You must either pay the charge or wait and make representations when a NTO is issued. The only exception to this is when your vehicle has been removed, in which case you must pay all fees and then make representations to the Council in writing within 28 days.
When a motorist receives a ticket, there are two options available; either make payment which is an acceptance of liability and closes the case or make a representation that challenges the ticket.
Were you visiting a resident?
If while visiting a resident you have been issued with a penalty charge notice (PCN) because your vehicle was parked in a parking place without displaying any form of permit, voucher or ticket which allowed it to be parked there (your PCN should read 'Contravention Code: 12'), you may appeal.
If you were parked in a residents’ or shared use parking place in order to visit a resident and can provide evidence of this (see below) then you may only need to pay the lower rate charge, £80 or £40 if paid within 14 days rather than the higher PCN rate shown on the PCN. Please note this applies only to PCNs issued on or after 1 July 2007.
Proof that you were visiting a resident should be in the form of a visitors’ parking permit or voucher which was valid on the date of contravention given on the PCN and a letter from the resident you were visiting.
Please remember that if you want to challenge the issue of the PCN, you should not send payment at this time, but follow the instructions on the notice.
CCTV enforcement on bus lane violations, parking contraventions and moving contraventions are now being enforced on in Hackney.
Download a copy of the 
Bus Lane Hours of Operation
Mitigating circumstances
If you appeal against a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) issued by Hackney, we will consider any mitigating circumstances you put forward to us. There are a number of situations in which we will consider cancelling a PCN, as shown by the examples below. Please note that these are guidelines, not rules, which depend on the area in which the contravention occurred. We will treat each case separately, which means we will not always cancel a PCN issued in one of the circumstances listed below.
You should supply as much documentary evidence as possible to support your case. Each case will be considered individually but we will not repeatedly cancel PCNs for the same reason.
- There were compelling mitigating circumstances, such as a medical emergency or bereavement
- The vehicle was forced to contravene in order to avoid a traffic accident
- The signs and lines were changed while the vehicle was parked
- The vehicle was picking up or dropping off passengers (in a section of the road where this is legally allowed) – you will usually need evidence to demonstrate this
- The vehicle had broken down (and this was reported shortly afterwards)
- The vehicle was stolen at the time of the contravention
- The contravention was a result of extreme circumstances beyond human control
We may also cancel a PCN where an exemption applied but was not visible to the CEO who issued the ticket – for example, if the driver was loading or unloading heavy goods at the time in a section of the road where this was legally allowed.
We will not generally cancel a PCN where the driver made an error or did not understand the regulations.
Page updated: 18 Jun 2009