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TICKED OFF
I was fined for parking outside my own home – the council can take me to court if they think I’m paying it
He was shocked when he went to appeal the charge
A RETIRED chauffeur has told Glasgow City Council they can take him to court after he was fined for parking outside his own home.
George Kennedy, 63, parked his Mazda motor in a bay outside his flat on White Street in the West End of the city.
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But he was shocked when he looked from his living room window on Thursday afternoon and clocked the penalty charge on his windscreen.
The £30 ticket from the city council was slapped on his motor by a traffic warden who said he wasn’t displaying a valid permit.
But the council’s own evidence photos show Mr Kennedy’s blue badge on the dashboard.
Defiant Mr Kennedy has vowed he will not be paying the fine and claimed enforcement officers target the area for easy tickets.
READ MORE PARKING ROWS
He told The Scottish Sun: “I’ve had parking fines in the past and admitted I’d made a mistake. I don’t question it and just pay them, but my badge was clearly displayed on the dashboard.
“But when I looked out of the window and saw it on my car I thought that cannot be a ticket. When I went out and saw it I was raging, and I don’t get angry a lot.
“This is an area that they absolutely hammer. It's easy money because they get people dropping their kids off at school. A lot of people don’t know that the rules changed because parking around here used to be free.
“This area is full of quite reasonable people, it’s a mixed crowd of students, young professionals, workers and some older folk but a lot of them have been getting ridiculous tickets.”
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But furious George slammed the city’s parking officials as having “no accountability” when he tried to appeal the fine.
He claimed there was no way to appeal it online and when he couldn’t speak to anyone about it.
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Mr Kennedy added: “When I tried to appeal online it said the website was under construction and when I tried to call them all I got was the same recorded message over and over again.
“So I decided to do it the old-fashioned way and go down there and sort it, but when I arrived the office was closed.
“What’s the point of saying you can appeal and then there is no way to do it?
“It’s not reasonable, you are appealing to the people who gave you the fine, they are policing themselves. Everyone has to be answerable to someone.”
When our reporter tried to access the online form to appeal a ticket, the link took us to the page where you PAY parking fines.
Glasgow City Council charge locals £30 for a Penalty Charge Notice, but it doubles to £60 if not paid within 14 days. If the ticket still isn’t paid then the local authority can bring in debt collectors.
But George said he will take his fight all the way with the city’s parking authorities.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
He said: “Forget doubling the fine and calling in debt collectors. My answer is take me to court to deal with this and we will see what happens.”
Glasgow City Council have been approached for comment.
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