Complaints procedure

Important: Before you begin

Complaints about an

Adjudicator’s Decision

that has been made on your appeal cannot
be made through this complaints procedure.

The Traffic Penalty Tribunal Adjudicators’ decisions are final and there is no automatic right to appeal a decision. One party of an appeal is always likely to be disappointed with the outcome. There are limited grounds for reviewing a decision. These grounds and the process for review are provided when the Adjudicator has made their decision on a case.

Find out more about reviewing a decision

Before you begin

Complaints about an

Adjudicator’s Decision

that has been made on your appeal cannot be made through this complaints procedure.

The Traffic Penalty Tribunal Adjudicators’ decisions are final and there is no automatic right to appeal a decision. One party of an appeal is always likely to be disappointed with the outcome. There are limited grounds for reviewing a decision. These grounds and the process for reviewing a decision are provided when the Adjudicator has made their decision on a case.

Find out more about reviewing a decision

Complaints about third-party organisations, such as local authorities
or enforcement contractors will not be considered. This includes
complaints about speeding penalties (which are issued by the Police).

Please direct any such complaint to the organisation in question.

We also won’t consider complaints about a PCN that can’t be appealed,
because the correct process for appealing has not been followed.

Find out more about the appeal process for your PCN

Complaints about third-party organisations, such as local authorities or enforcement contractors will not be considered. This includes complaints about speeding penalties (which are issued by the Police).

Please direct any such complaints to the organisation in question.

We also won’t consider complaints about a PCN that can’t be appealed, because the correct process for appealing has not been followed.

Find out more about the appeal process for your PCN

The use of offensive, abusive or defamatory language directed towards
our staff, Adjudicators or local authorities during any interactions
with the Tribunal will not be tolerated.

More about aggressive, abusive or unreasonable behaviour

As an organisation, the Traffic Penalty Tribunal recognises that people may act out of character in times of trouble or distress. Behaviour is not viewed as being unacceptable just because a person is upset, forceful or determined. However, actions or behaviours that result in unreasonable demands on Tribunal staff or the wider organisation, or that pose a threat to the wellbeing and safety of staff, are considered to be unacceptable.

Examples include:

Aggressive or abusive behaviour

Unreasonable demands

Unreasonable persistence

Vexatious complaints

If an action adversely affects the Tribunal’s ability to carry out its work and provide a service to others, contact with the individual/s in question may be restricted in order to manage the unacceptable action, as follows:

The Tribunal will always tell the individual/s in question what action is being taken and why. If the unacceptable action relates to a complaint, the Tribunal will ensure that it is, or has been, dealt with according to the Complaints Procedure set out on this page. Unsolicited contact or posts via social media to a member of staff, or involving a member of staff or the Tribunal, will be treated as unacceptable under this policy.
In certain instances, the Tribunal may take the decision to report incidents to the police or other authorities. This will always be the case where physical violence is used or threatened, or where verbal abuse or harassment may be considered to be a criminal offence, or where such calls occur more than once.
Where correspondence is unacceptable, a warning will be issued in writing, and if the correspondence has been submitted via the Tribunal’s online case management system, it may be removed. This would be agreed in advance with the Chief Adjudicator.
Where a Tribunal user persistently contacts the Tribunal about an issue that has been resolved, they may be advised that any further correspondence on the same matter will be read and filed, but not acknowledged or responded to.

Please note: Calls in and out of the Tribunal are recorded and monitored.

The use of offensive, abusive or defamatory language directed towards our staff, Adjudicators or local authorities during any interactions with the Tribunal will not be tolerated.

More about aggressive, abusive or unreasonable behaviour

As an organisation, the Traffic Penalty Tribunal recognises that people may act out of character in times of trouble or distress. Behaviour is not viewed as being unacceptable just because a person is upset, forceful or determined. However, actions or behaviours that result in unreasonable demands on Tribunal staff or the wider organisation, or that pose a threat to the wellbeing and safety of staff, are considered to be unacceptable.

Examples include:

Aggressive or abusive behaviour

Unreasonable demands

Unreasonable persistence

Vexatious complaints

If an action adversely affects the Tribunal’s ability to carry out its work and provide a service to others, contact with the individual/s in question may be restricted in order to manage the unacceptable action, as follows:

The Tribunal will always tell the individual/s in question what action is being taken and why. If the unacceptable action relates to a complaint, the Tribunal will ensure that it is, or has been, dealt with according to the Complaints Procedure set out on this page. Unsolicited contact or posts via social media to a member of staff, or involving a member of staff or the Tribunal, will be treated as unacceptable under this policy.
In certain instances, the Tribunal may take the decision to report incidents to the police or other authorities. This will always be the case where physical violence is used or threatened, or where verbal abuse or harassment may be considered to be a criminal offence, or where such calls occur more than once.
Where correspondence is unacceptable, a warning will be issued in writing, and if the correspondence has been submitted via the Tribunal’s online case management system, it may be removed. This would be agreed in advance with the Chief Adjudicator.
Where a Tribunal user persistently contacts the Tribunal about an issue that has been resolved, they may be advised that any further correspondence on the same matter will be read and filed, but not acknowledged or responded to.

Please note: Calls in and out of the Tribunal are recorded and monitored.

What are you getting in touch about?

The service you received from Tribunal staff

It is possible that the member of staff you are dealing with can resolve your feedback or complaint informally and swiftly. If you are still not satisfied, however, you should contact the Appeals Manager.

Complaints should be made as soon as possible,
using the contact details below:

Tel: 0800 160 1999

Please note that all calls are recorded for quality and training purposes*

Email: complaints@trafficpenaltytribunal.gov.uk

Outline the full circumstances surrounding the complaint, in order for it to be investigated fully. Examples may include:

the Tribunal staff did not keep you updated about the progress of your case
your correspondence was sent to an incorrect postal or email address
you were spoken to rudely or given incorrect information by the Tribunal staff
you waited too long for your Hearing to be arranged.

The Appeals Manager will arrange for
the complaint to be dealt with as follows:

Complaint acknowledged within 5 working days.
Complaint replied to within 20 working days
(any unavoidable delays to this timeline will be communicated with a full explanation and a projected resolution date).

If you are still not satisfied with the reply you receive,
you may write to the Director at:

Director
Traffic Penalty Tribunal
PO Box 172
BLYTH
NE24 9HD

* Please view our Privacy Notice to learn how your data will be processed.

How your case was handled

Feedback or complaints about an

Adjudicator’s Decision

cannot be handled through this
complaints procedure.

The steps you can take to challenge an Adjudicator’s decision are provided to you when a decision is made. This information can also be found here. Continued correspondence with us following a decision will not change the outcome or place enforcement on hold.

Adjudicators

If you would like to provide feedback about one of our Adjudicators (not the decision they made), please refer to the ‘One of our Adjudicators’ tab on this page.

Service received by a
member of Tribunal staff

For any feedback or complaints about the service you received from a member of Traffic Penalty Tribunal staff who handled your case, please refer to the ‘The service you received from Tribunal staff’ tab on this page.

One of our Adjudicators

Feedback or complaints about an

Adjudicator’s Decision

cannot be handled through this
complaints procedure.

The steps you can take to challenge an Adjudicator’s decision are provided to you when a decision is made. This information can also be found here. Continued correspondence with us following a decision will not change the outcome or place enforcement on hold.

Feedback or complaints should be made as soon as possible,
using the email address below.

Outline the full circumstances, in order for it to be investigated fully.

Email: complaints@trafficpenaltytribunal.gov.uk

The Chief Adjudicator will acknowledge
the feedback or complaint within 5 working days.

A full response will then be provided within a reasonable length of time (any unavoidable delays to this timeline will be communicated with a full explanation and a projected resolution date).

What are you getting in touch about?

The service you received from Tribunal staff

It is possible that the member of staff you are dealing with can resolve your feedback or complaint informally and swiftly.

If you are still not satisfied, however, you should contact the Appeals Manager.

Complaints should be made as soon as possible, using the contact details below:

Tel: 0800 160 1999

Please note that all calls are recorded for quality and training purposes*

Email:
complaints@trafficpenaltytribunal.gov.uk

Outline the full circumstances surrounding the complaint, in order for it to be investigated fully. Examples may include:

the Tribunal staff did not keep you updated about the progress of your case
your correspondence was sent to an incorrect postal or email address
you were spoken to rudely or given incorrect information by a Tribunal staff member
you waited too long for your Hearing to be arranged.

The Appeals Manager will arrange for the complaint to be dealt with as follows:

Complaint acknowledged within 5 working days.
Complaint replied to within 20 working days (any unavoidable delays to this timeline will be communicated with a full explanation and a projected resolution date).

If you are still not satisfied with the reply you receive, you may write to the Director at:

Director
Traffic Penalty Tribunal
PO Box 172
BLYTH
NE24 9HD

* Please view our Privacy Notice to learn how your data will be processed.

How your case was handled

Feedback or complaints about an

Adjudicator’s Decision

cannot be handled through this complaints procedure.

The steps you can take to challenge an Adjudicator’s decision are provided to you when a decision is made. This information can also be found here. Continued correspondence with us following a decision will not change the outcome or place enforcement on hold.

Adjudicators

If you would like to provide feedback about one of our Adjudicators (not the decision they made), please refer to the ‘One of our Adjudicators’ tab on this page.

Service received by a
member of Tribunal staff

For any feedback or complaints made about the service you received, or how a member of Traffic Penalty Tribunal staff handled your case, please refer to the ‘The service you received from Tribunal staff’ tab on this page.

One of our Adjudicators

Feedback or complaints about an

Adjudicator’s Decision

cannot be handled through this complaints procedure.

The steps you can take to challenge an Adjudicator’s decision are provided to you when a decision is made. This information can also be found here. Continued correspondence with us following a decision will not change the outcome or place enforcement on hold.

Complaints should be made as soon as possible after any alleged incident, using the email address below:

Email:
complaints@trafficpenaltytribunal.gov.uk

Outline the full circumstances surrounding the complaint, in order for it to be investigated fully.

The Chief Adjudicator will acknowledge the feedback or complaint within 5 working days.

A full response will then be provided within a reasonable length of time (any unavoidable delays to this timeline will be communicated with a full explanation and a projected resolution date).