If you (sadly) obtain a Parking Penalty please consider your response carefully.

Either pay it, or challenge, within 14 days if you wish to benefit from the lower (mitigated) amount.

The preferred method to pay is using the Council online payment system.

Please do not ignore it as Allerdale will always pursue all Penalties as far as it is able to in law. If you have ignored a Penalty and it has already risen to the full amount by the time that we have traced you then it would be extremely unlikely that we would be willing later to accept a lesser payment in full settlement.

The Council is more likely to take a hard view in respect of motorists that it has had to take the time (and expense) of tracing. It does have a policy to pursue all offenders that fail to settle a Penalty or challenge its issue promptly, irrespective of whether a person in receipt of a Penalty is 'local' or from elsewhere - including all countries with reciprocal legal agreements with the United Kingdom.

If you intend to 'challenge' against the enforcement of any Penalty please note:-

(i) The Council will first consider whether there has been any error, act or omission on the behalf of itself or its staff that may have caused an otherwise innocent motorist to receive a Penalty which is unjustifiable in law.

(ii) Only in the absence of a reason of Council fault, will it then consider any strong mitigating reason put forward by a motorist to demonstrate why she/he was incapable of complying with the regulations.

In general any 'challenge' which does not fall into these categories is likely to fail - and persons in receipt of a Penalty in those circumstances would be well advised to settle such a Penalty quickly.