'I spent months fighting £25 parking penalty'
Mark Toplass has a brain injury, which causes memory loss and he relies on reminders about everyday activities like bills and car payments.
The 55-year-old received the penalty in February when his parking permit, which allows him to park for free outside his home in The Meadows in Nottingham, had expired.
After numerous demands from Nottingham City Council for payment, Mr Toplass later discovered that the authority's policy states it will send a reminder to residents ahead of their permit expiring - which he said he did not receive.
Mr Toplass, who has had two brain injuries - his first a haemorrhage aged 38 - said: "My memory is shocking so I have reminders set up for everything. I've had to adapt my life.
"This should've been dealt with at the very first appeal. Instead, they kept telling me the fine would double if I didn't pay, which is when it got stressful.
"I've had to spend hours upon hours on this, just to show that they're not following their own procedures."
Mr Toplass said the council told him it only reminded residents to renew their permits as a matter of courtesy.
After digging into the issue, the former Army veteran - who used to work in local government - discovered the part of the council's policy, which states that "reminders will be issued to permanent residents... via email" before a permit expires.
The charge was then cancelled in May after his second appeal.
Since then, Mr Toplass has filed an official complaint and a freedom of information (FOI) request in a bid to find out how many other residents have been affected.
He said: "My grievance now is how many other people in Nottingham are in the same boat?
"In this day and age, we're all tight on money and don't want to be paying for something that isn't our fault."
Mr Toplass has now cancelled his parking permit as he "doesn't want to go through the rigmarole", and will instead park on his own driveway, which he previously left empty so local children could play football on it.
The city council said its policy was to send reminder letters to residents with virtual parking permits, but added the responsibility for renewal remained with the permit holder.
A council spokesperson said they were sorry to hear about the difficulties Mr Toplass had experienced.
The council has not told the BBC why the charge was cancelled.
The spokesperson added: "We understand that situations like this can be challenging, particularly for residents with additional needs, and we aim to take a fair and proportionate approach to enforcement.
"Anyone who receives a penalty notice can appeal, and all appeals are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, taking individual circumstances into account."
Follow BBC Nottingham on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.
Parking ticket anger amid on-street permit delays
City centre on-street parking charges to rise
Related internet links
Nottingham City Council
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
38 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Jermaine Jenas claims BBC ‘took away my life' after sacking over inappropriate texts
Jermaine Jenas has claimed the BBC was able to 'take my life away' after his sacking over alleged unsolicited, inappropriate text messages he sent female colleagues at the broadcaster. Jenas was sacked in August 2024 over allegations that he sent explicit texts to two female BBC employees. At the time of the scandal Jenas said, 'I am not happy about it. I'll have to let the lawyers deal with it. There are two sides to every story,' before he eventually admitted that he had behaved 'inappropriately' and 'made a mistake'. The 42-year-old had formerly been part of the presenting team on Match of the Day and The One Show. Speaking on the Reece Mennie podcast, the former Tottenham player said, 'Having worked in the media for the last ten years, and having been through what I've been through for the last year, been a really difficult moment for myself and my family what happened which I have always held up my hand and taken full responsibility for, that's very important to do. 'You go through a lot of different emotions of anger and blame, but eventually you realise: 'Take responsibility, Jermaine, and you'll be able to move forward.' 'Because of their ability to take away my life, in terms of every deal I had, the jobs that I had at that particular time, I said that is never happening to me again, so I've recently set up my own production company.' He added that while working for the BBC 'there are so many walls in terms of what they want you to do and what you're not allowed to do. Betting companies want to work with me because I'm in football; BBC hate that because of the issues to do with gambling in general, so they block all of that. 'So there were a lot of blocks on one side and football was bringing me some stuff, but the reality is that it all got wiped out. It all got taken away.' Jenas split from his wife of 16 years, Ellie Penfold, in the wake of the scandal. The couple have three children together.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
'It's a kick in the teeth' - Pub owners gutted after second break-in in 6 months
The management of a town centre pub has described being broken into as a "kick in the teeth". Dave Golden was excited for another day at The Blarney Stone in Bolton on Sunday, August 3, but was in for a rude awakening. When he arrived at the Bradshawgate pub at around noon, he found that it had been broken into, with cash, an iPad used for the till, and numerous bottles of spirits having been taken. This is not the first time this has happened, with the pub also having been burgled earlier this year, when spirits and electronics were taken. The pub, which had previously been Prince Billy's, only reopened in late February this year. Speaking to The Bolton News, Dave said: "It was on Sunday morning, I came in at around noon and realised that we had been broken into. "It is a proper kick in the teeth, especially when we see ourselves moving in the right direction. The Blarney Stone opened its doors on February 28 (Image: Newsquest)Read more: Popular town centre pub reopens – again - with a new look and name Read more: Pub inspired by one of the 'most famous in the world' lands in Bolton Read more: Popular town centre pub explains what will happen if you keeping stealing glasses "The response we have had from people since opening is really good, we feel very welcome and people compliment the effort we put in. "I came in all excited for the day and then that happened. But you just have to keep going." As well as replacing the iPad and spirits, the pub has also had to call out workmen to repair it and make it more secure. Dave added: "That Sunday afternoon we couldn't open up until later, we did open at 4pm but had to buy an iPad, all new spirits and we had to get some float in. "Although it is disappointing, we will be back up and running again, we will keep fighting and keep moving. "In general we feel incredibly welcomed to Bolton by everyone." The Blarney Stone is the only Irish pub in Bolton.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Illegal vapes and cigarettes worth millions seized in police operation
A council has revealed that more than 480,000 illegal cigarettes and 26,856 illegal vapes have been seized as part of a police operation. The BBC report has highlighted the ongoing efforts of the Newport City Council's trading standards officers, who have been working in conjunction with law enforcement to tackle the sale of illegal tobacco and vaping products in the city. As a part of their efforts, the officers have been working with landlords to ensure that only tenants with legitimate businesses are renting their properties. Operation Firecrest, which began in October 2023, has resulted in 87 seizures of illegal tobacco and vaping products throughout the city. The seized goods include 481,790 illegal cigarettes, 26,856 illegal disposable vaping devices, and 199.05kg of illegal hand-rolled tobacco, which is equivalent to 199,050 cigarettes. In total, the seized items are equivalent to approximately six million cigarettes, with an estimated value of around £1.85 million. Read more CCTV network outages sparks safety concerns in Newport city centre 'What is happening to our justice system?' Driver caught speeding at 46mph in 20mph zone The BBC accompanied the team as they carried out their work in various parts of the city, including a shopping district where five premises were previously selling illegal tobacco and vapes. All of these premises were taken to court, where magistrates issued closure orders. Two of the premises have changed their use, one is currently vacant, and another was recently closed down. A fifth has reopened, but is now believed to be trading lawfully. As part of another operation in 2023, a network of illegal tobacco sellers in Commercial Street was identified. This led to the removal of a significant amount of products from sale, and a residential address was raided where cannabis and cash were found. Five shops were subject to closure orders, and three individuals were charged with fraudulent trading, to which they later pleaded guilty. Councillor Mark Spencer, Newport City Council's cabinet member for communities and sport, said: "The illegal trade of tobacco and vapes is harmful to our residents and those communities where it is taking place. "We will not tolerate it in our neighbourhoods or our city. "I would like to thank our trading standards officers for their continued fight against these criminals and the partners they work with including the police and National Trading Standards. "Closure orders can only be for a limited period which is why the officers have been working with landlords. "We are grateful to those who have taken their advice in relation to the type of tenants they have and urge others to be vigilant. "We would welcome changes in the legislation which would strengthen the action that can be taken against those involved in the illegal trade and the premises they operate from."
