How to dispute the issuing of a Fixed Penalty Notice

There is no formal process for Fixed Penalty Notices – if you disagree that you have committed an offence, you can decide not to pay the Fixed Penalty Fine, and the matter will then be decided by a Court.

However, this can be expensive and time-consuming for both parties, and Rhondda Cynon Taf CBC has an internal process that can help resolve disputes before they get to Court.

When can you appeal a Fixed Penalty Notice?

Cases where a dispute might be considered favourably include, but are not limited to, instances where you can demonstrate that

• No offence was committed, or the Fixed Penalty Notice has been wrongly issued, for example where a dog control order didn't apply or the person had exception under the law
• The offence was committed by someone else
• The offence wasn't the fault of the person against whom the Notice was served, and there was nothing they could do to prevent the offence 
• We shouldn't have served the Notice because the offender is under 17, or is physically or mentally incapacitated or has some other incapacity that prevent them from understanding that they committed an offence
• There are significant extenuating circumstances that temporarily affected the ability of the person to comply with the law
• Serving the Notice is not considered to be in the public interest – however, Rhondda Cynon Taf CBC  have a duty to enforce the law – and Fixed Penalty Notices are designed to be a quick and easy way to deal with minor offences.

In order to serve a Fixed Penalty Notice, we will have evidence that an offence was committed by the person against whom we issued the Notice, this evidence could be video, still photograph or an eye witness account of the incident. Any dispute must therefore clearly show the reasons why the Fixed Penalty Notice should be cancelled. You will need to give us evidence you have, such as photos, witnesses etc., so that we can fully consider your appeal.

There are a range of reasons where an dispute will not be considered, and these include, but are not limited to

• Ignorance of the law – the test would be whether a reasonable person would be aware that an offence had been committed – most people know that dropping litter and allowing their dogs to foul is wrong! There are some requirements to display notices warning people about the law, but these don’t apply everywhere and to all legislation, and warning notices don’t have to be where you happen to be when the offence was committed
• The absence of litter or dog fouling bins will not be considered as a reason for dispute
• You didn't know an offence had been committed – the test would be whether a reasonable person would have known what had happened – for example, this includes knowing where your dog is and what it is doing so that you can clear up any mess it leaves
• That you picked up the litter / dog fouling after being approached by an Officer. The Officer will only approach you once an offence has been committed
• You couldn't prevent the offence - the test would be whether a reasonable person could have taken steps to prevent the offence occurring – for example by keeping your dog under control so that it doesn't enter a banned area and ensuring your dog doesn’t escape from your property
• The offence was only minor – that’s why a Fixed Penalty Notice has been issued, as this gives the opportunity to avoid going to Court. More serious offences could be prosecuted straight away
• It is not in the public interest to pursue the offence – although these are minor offences, the levels of litter, dog mess etc are something that concern local residents, and Rhondda Cynon Taf CBC needs to respond to these concerns by making sure the law is enforced. The Authority also spends a considerable amount of money cleaning the streets, and anything we can do to stop litter, dog mess etc helps us to do this more effectively.

How do we deal with Disputes

If you are served a Fixed Penalty Notice by Rhondda Cynon Taf CBC or anyone acting on our behalf, but you disagree that you have committed an offence or feel that it was unreasonable for us to serve the Notice, you can dispute the matter by writing to Enforcement Appeals Officer, Rhondda Cynon Taf CBC, Ty Glantaf, Unit B23, Treforest Ind Est, Pontypridd, CF37 5TT. N.B. ONLY WRITTEN DISPUTES WILL BE CONSIDERED

Every appeal will:

• Be considered on its merits, on the basis of the information and evidence provided by the appellant and by the person who issued the Notice
• Receive a full written response, normally within 10 working days.  However, this could be longer in more complex cases.

Where appeals are not upheld, the reasons for this will be explained and a further 28 day period given for payment.