Hearing Venues

Appeals to the Adjudicator may be made in writing, in which case the Adjudicator will issue a written decision along with his or her reasons for reaching that decision. The majority of appeals are dealt with on this purely postal basis.

If they wish, appellants may request a personal hearing in which they have the chance to put their case to an Adjudicator in person. In almost all cases the Adjudicator will tell the appellant their decision at the end of the hearing and this will be followed up by written confirmation.

An appellant requesting a personal hearing may ask for it to be held at any hearing venue, no matter where the Penalty Charge Notice was issued. Thus, an individual who received a Penalty Charge Notice on holiday in Bournemouth could have their personal appeal heard in York if this is the closest venue to their home address.

The Tribunal does not guarantee that it will meet your wishes but will take them into account when fixing the hearing.
Normally a hearing can be arranged in accordance with your preferences. However, where your hearing is listed will depend on availability of venues, whether the council wishes to attend, and any other matters the Adjudicator considers relevant.

More venues are being added as more councils take up enforcement powers.  Here is a list of venues currently available.

Personal hearing venues are generally well known in the community. They are central and accessible to all, including the disabled. Examples of venues are meeting rooms in libraries, leisure centres and well-known local hotels. Only rarely are personal hearings heard in court buildings - generally where there is a shortage of alternative accommodation in the area. The appellant is advised of the address of the hearing centre when they receive notification of the time and date on which their personal appeal has been scheduled.

Although appeal venues are chosen on the basis of their accessibility and relative informality, it should be noted that just as with any court case, appeals are held in public and members of the public have a legal right to attend. However, this is rare and those attending hearings are generally limited to the appellant, the Adjudicator and perhaps a representative from the local authority.

N.B. Personal hearings are arranged by the Traffic Penalty Tribunal staff. Please contact the Tribunal and not the hearing venue should you wish to discuss any matter relating to the appeal including the hearing venue.