Outside body

The PATROL Adjudication Joint Committee has been established to enable all Councils having Civil Enforcement Area Orders, enabling them to carry out civil enforcement of parking contraventions, to exercise their functions under Section 81 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 and Regulations 17 of the Civil Enforcement of Parking Contraventions (England) General Regulations 2007. These functions are exercised through the Joint Committee in accordance with the requirements of Regulation 16 of the Civil Enforcement of Parking Contraventions (England) General Regulations 2007. (See below for regulations governing Wales)

The functions referred to in the previous paragraph and exercised by the PATROL Adjudication Joint Committee on behalf of its constituent councils are, appointing independent adjudicators to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal (subject to the consent of the Lord Chancellor), providing these adjudicators with administrative staff and accommodation and providing hearing venues. Its remit in relation to the Tribunal is limited to these matters.

BUS LANE ADJUDICATION JOINT COMMITTEE

The Bus Lane Adjudication Joint Committee has been established to provide all councils having the power to undertake civil parking enforcement of bus lane contraventions to exercise their function under Regulation 11 of the Bus Lane Contraventions (Penalty Charge Adjudication and Enforcement) (England) Regulations 2005. These functions are exercised through the Joint Committee in accordance with Regulation 12 of The Bus Lane Contravention (Penalty Charge, Adjudication Enforcement) (England) Regulations 2005.

The functions referred to in the previous paragraph and exercised by the Bus Lane Adjudication Joint Committee on behalf of its constituent councils are, appointing independent bus lane adjudicators to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal (subject to the consent of the Lord Chancellor) providing these adjudicators with administrative staff and accommodation and providing hearing venues. Its remit in relation to the Tribunal is limited to these matters.

Where councils operate Civil Enforcement of Parking and Bus Lane contraventions they are required to become members of both Joint Committees.

The Joint Committees have agreed to appoint the same Adjudicators as both bus lane and parking Adjudicators and to appoint the same administrative staff to support those Adjudicators. The collective name for this body of Adjudicators and their administrative staff is the Traffic Penalty Tribunal. This agreement enables the Traffic Penalty Tribunal to be an integrated Tribunal for appeals concerning both parking and bus lane penalty charges.

The primary objectives of both Joint Committees are the provision of:

a) A fair adjudication service for the parties to appeal.

b) Consistency in access to adjudication.

c) A cost effective and equitable adjudication service for all Parking and Bus Lane authorities and appellants in England and Wales.

d) Flexibility to deal with a wide range of local authorities with varying levels of demand for adjudication.

In addition, the Joint Committee oversees any agreed PATROL initiatives the Joint Committee decides to undertake separate from the provision of the adjudication service, e.g. commissioning Independent Reviews and the provision of public information.

PATROL EXECUTIVE SUB COMMITTEE WALES

The regulations made under the Traffic Management Act 2004 governing civil parking enforcement in Wales are separate from the equivalent Regulations for England. The Joint Committees functions for Wales are exercised under Regulation 8 of the Civil Enforcement of Parking Contraventions (Penalty Charge Notices, Enforcement and Adjudication (Wales) Regulations 2008.

The introduction of moving traffic regulations under the Traffic Management Act 2004 will be approached separately in England and Wales.

The PATROL Adjudication Joint Committee has also established an Executive Sub-Committee (Wales) with specific reference to matters arising from the separate regulations for the civil enforcement of parking in England and Wales.