ANSWER:
If you do not pay the penalty or make representations against a Notice to Owner (NtO) or Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) served by post by the end of the maximum 28-day period, the authority will send you a Charge Certificate: this increases the penalty by 50%.
Your options in this situation are as follows:
Pay: Contact the authority to pay the increased charge.
Challenge: It is not possible to challenge a Charge Certificate; however, if you do not pay the Charge Certificate within 14 days – taking ‘Day 1’ as two working days after the Charge Certificate was posted – the authority may register the debt at Northampton County Court – Traffic Enforcement Centre (TEC). TEC will then send you a court order.
At this stage, it is possible to make a witness statement (or statutory declaration for bus lane PCNs) challenging the court order on one of four grounds. These are explained within the TEC documentation you will receive.
If you did not receive a postal PCN / Notice to Owner or the Notice of Rejection, it may still be worth challenging although the authority is not obliged to consider representations at this stage.
For further information, contact TEC on 0300 123 1059 or visit their website.