A Newcastle foodbank which feared it may have to close its doors after receiving more than £4,000 in parking fines has said it's a "massive, massive relief" after the company which manages the car park agreed to cancel 14 penalty charge notices (PCNs).
Kenton Foodbank received multiple parking tickets from two private parking companies, DCBL and Civil Enforcement Limited, over a two-year period. As did several volunteers, with some even being issued with county court judgements (CCJs) - along with the foodbank.
Had the foodbank been forced to pay the fines, founder Loree Moran-Wilson fears that it would have had to close, which would have meant "letting down" the 500+ families who use the foodbank. They would have had to travel outside of the area, with the next closest foodbank located in Westerhope.
Read more: Newcastle foodbank fears it could be forced to close after receiving £4,000 of parking fines
However, 14 PCNs relating to the foodbank's two vans have now been cancelled and both vehicles have been given permits so that they can park for as long as they need to at the car park behind Kenton Shopping Centre. Civil Enforcement has also said that it will review other PCNs issued to volunteers of the food bank "on a case by case basis," following ChronicleLive's report in November and an intervention from Newcastle upon Tyne North's Labour MP, Catherine McKinnell.
The company has agreed to offer its support to Loree to assist the foodbank in having its CCJ removed, which is thought to have been issued by the previous operator of the car park, DCBL. It has also said it will set aside two CCJs for volunteers connected to the foodbank as a gesture of goodwill.
Loree Moran-Wilson of Kenton Foodbank said: "I'm very, very relieved, it's a stress that's been taken away. I was thinking every morning when I wake up today, I'm going to get another parking ticket and I'm just trying to do good for the community, which I'm getting punished for.
"When he told me the fines would be quashed I was crying because it's been going on for so long. It's a massive, massive relief."
Loree claims that in a phone conversation, she had been told that permits would be supplied to people who volunteered at the foodbank, having submitted their names and car registration numbers. However, when that was put to Civil Enforcement, they replied: "It is the client’s policy to each tenant one or two permanent exemptions, as the car park serves at least 10 other businesses and spaces need to be kept open for customers as well as the staff of all of those businesses.
"We are sure that most reasonable people will agree that the 60 minute free parking period is ample time for anyone attending to either drop off food donations or for anyone who wishes to collect food from the foodbank."
A spokesperson for Civil Enforcement Ltd told ChronicleLive: "We trust that you will see that we were operating fairly and properly and in accordance with our client’s instructions to ensure that the spaces within this car park were available for the legitimate visitors of all of the various businesses operating out of the retail park. The system will only work if customers abide by the 60 minute maximum free stay allowance, which is more than enough time for people to drop off or pick up from the foodbank, whilst also enabling other businesses to receive their fair share of customer traffic footfall, which is a vital service to enable these local businesses to remain viable."
Councillor Stephen Lambert, Chair of Kenton Ward Committee said on the cancellation of fines: "This is an excellent outcome and we’re pleased the company has seen sense and has fulfilled its civil responsibilities to to both the Kenton Food bank and wider Kenton community. Our thanks go to our local MP Catherine McKinnell for taking this issue up and getting a meaningful solution."
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