I would suggest that you first contact the collection agency and the council and explain as above, before considering enriching the legal profession. A mistake might have been made.
Legally you might have a problem in that Parking Charges are not easily challenged. You may elect to defend a speeding prosecution in court or pay a penalty charge, but it appears you don't have that option with PCNs. There's a letter on that very subject in Honest John's column in today's Motoring Telegraph.
Peter
PS - here's the letter
Citizens caned
Parking Charge Notices (PCNs) appear to deny citizens access to a court of law should they wish to challenge them. Is this not contrary to the Bill Of Rights 1689? The Bill is consbreastutional law and above any parliamentary law. It does not differentiate between civil and criminal offences and is quite clear on this. This Bill, and charters such as the Magna Carta (1215), Act of Settlement (1701) and so on, are not grants from the monarchy to the people. We own them and any law that infringes them shall be of no force or effect. They cannot be repealed or subverted and are not subject to votes. To quote from the Bill of Rights presented to William of Orange: "All grants and promises of fines and forfeitures of particular persons before conviction are illegal and void." It seems quite clear. You cannot levy fines or forfeitures on any person before a conviction. The only people who can convict and issue fines are the courts of law. If this were not true, people would have no protection from the might of the state, which would be able to wield all the power it liked (as now seems to be the case). M.W., via e-mail
a.. Perhaps a consbreastutional lawyer could clarify things here. If the above were true, only a Notice of Intended Prosecution that gives recipients the alternative of a voluntary fine and-or other punishment instead of a court appearance would be legal.
