Coppergate refund process and FAQs

The application process will close on midnight on 31 March 2016.

An application must be made before midnight on 31 March 2016 in order for this to be considered for repayment. The deadline for Lendal Bridge applications has also been extended until 31 March 2016.

All applications must be made online via www.york.gov.uk/coppergate , although support will be provided for anyone who doesn’t have access to the internet.

Full FAQs detailing the repayment process can be found on this webpage, or below.

Drivers are asked to read these FAQs relating to the repayment process before submitting their application. (more…)

Lendal Bridge “automatic fine” refund process revealed

Report published – administration to cost extra £150,000

The Council Cabinet will decide on 20^th January how to implement the Councils decision to “automatically” refund those who were fined during the Lendal Bridge trial.

So far 12,512 refunds have been issued by the Council.

The most likely course of action is that all 35,000 motorists, who have not yet claimed a refund, will be written to and advised of their opportunity to claim.

After that the process will be much the same as the scheme currently in operation.

The cost of sending out and managing the notification process is put at £150,000. The money will come from grant income which otherwise would have been spent on public services in the City.

In total the Council took around £1.8 million in fines from the Lendal bridge and Coppergate schemes. The Council continues to pursue a claim that the Coppergate fines were levied lawfully but their appeal has been outstanding for over 9 months now.

Additionally, over £700,000 was spent on implementing and administering the original schemes.

The Council is shying away from simply putting a cheque in the post to the registered vehicle keeper details that its agents have on file. They fear that many of the payments would not reach the right people (hire cars, parental cars, foreign tourists, deceased etc) and Legal Counsel have said that such an option could jeopardise the Councils Coppergate appeal.

All in all it now looks like the Lendal Bridge experiment will cost over £1 million.

That is money which could, and should, have been spent addressing road safety issues across the whole City.

Lendal Bridge fine refund scheme not working

Only 5500 motorists have so far applied for repayment of the fines – unlawfully imposed by Labour – on drivers using Lendal Bridge during the closure trial which started in August 2013.

This represents only a little over 10% of the total penalty notices issued.

Labour have set an arbitrary deadline of the end of December 2014 by which applications for refunds must be made.

The responsible Cabinet member claims not to know where the applications originated and the suspicion remains that tourists and other visitors to the City remain largely unaware that the refunds are available.

As we have said before, the reputational damage to York is irreversible but we believe that the new “balanced” Council must take immediate steps, to write to all these who were fined, telling them about the refund process.

It also seems reasonable to remove the deadline for applications.

With Labour having lost their overall Council majority they will no longer be able to block a public Inquiry into the actions that they took during the Lendal Bridge fiasco

Separately the Council has confirmed that its appeal against a parallel ruling on fines imposed on Coppergate, using similar signage and enforcement methods, has still not been heard.

Currently no enforcement action is taking place of the Coppergate access restrictions.

York Council labelled “Rotten Borough” by Private Eye

as “internet only” Lendal Bridge refund process announced

The York Council has said that drivers can apply for a refund of unlawful Lendal Bridge fines from Monday.

Private Eye 5th Sept 2014 click

However they will only be able to do so “on line” and a deadline of the 31st December has been set for applications.

The Council has become the subject of national derision following its decision to pay refunds ……….but not to tell driver that they were available.

Even the national satirical magazine Private Eye has labelled the Council as a “Rotten Borough” putting it in the same category as the likes of Rotherham and Doncaster

With Council elections scheduled for next May, it is highly likely that Labour will lose control and either an incoming LibDem or Tory administration will restart the refund process.

But in the meantime it seems that the only option for those not on the internet will be a trip to the local library or West Offices itself.

Clearly the Council are banking on the inconvenience putting many motorists off bothering.

Recently the Council decided by 5 votes to 4 not to tell drivers of their entitlement, so motorists in many in other parts of the country – and abroad – are unlikely to hear of the refund scheme.

The Council, statement reads:

(more…)

Westfield Councillor Stephen Burton casts deciding vote in 5 -4 Lendal Bridge fine cliffhanger

Labour reject calls to refund all Lendal Bridge fines

Labour have rejected Liberal Democrat calls for all motorists fined for crossing Lendal Bridge to be automatically refunded.

In July, Labour run York Council confirmed that it would drop its appeal against a Government Traffic Adjudicator ruling which said the Lendal Bridge closure was unlawful and would repay the 50,000 plus motorists fined. However, the Labour Cabinet decided that only those who contact the council and apply will get their money back.

Liberal Democrat councillors Keith Aspden, Ian Cuthbertson and Ann Reid called-in the decision for review saying that all motorists who received fines should automatically be contacted and then repaid, using the revenue from the fines currently ring-fenced in council reserves. The Lib Dems believe that the onus should not be on drivers to apply for their refund, especially as the majority of people who were caught out by the ban do not live in York.

However, tonight Labour used their majority on the cross-party Corporate and Scrutiny Management Committee to vote down the Liberal Democrat proposals and back the original decision by 5 votes to 4.

Cllr Burton who led the fight to stop an enquiry into the unlawful fines again toed the party line and voted not to tell motorists about the availability of refunds!

NB Important information that was apparently kept from the committee will be published here tomorrow
(more…)

Lendal Bridge fine refunds confirmed

Confusion over process continues

The York Council confirmed yesterday that it will refund the fines levied on Lendal Bridge during the 6 month closure trial.

However controversy continues as the Council does not intend to proactively tell those affected that they are entitled to a refund!

Labour Councillors claim that social and commercial media will be used to alert claimants but – with as long as 12 months having elapsed since some of the fines were issued and in many cases to drivers from other parts of the UK and Europe – most are unlikely to ever hear about the need to apply for a refund.

The Council should agree to write to every driver telling them of their right to claim a rebate and how to go about doing so

The Council have withdrawn their appeal against the “unlawful” ruling on Lendal Bridge.

They are continuing to pursue an appeal on Coppergate where no fine notices have been issued since April.