Correspondence and Appeals Officer

Newham

Job Role

To provide effective and efficient customer support and service, within the Parking Service, with specific reference to the consideration of and response to written enquiries, representations, appeals or statutory declarations received from members of the public in relation to Penalty Charge Notices.

Key Tasks and Accountabilities:

To provide effective, efficient and high quality customer care service to members of the public.

To consider objections to parking and moving traffic enforcement action in accordance with the relevant legislation, regulations, traffic orders, the ALG Code of Practice and Newham's policies on parking.

Interface directly with external and internal customers to manage delivery priorities, issues and challenges.

To assist with the compilation of statistics ensuring that they are available for management as and when required. 8. Promote and adopt new ways of working according to need to ensure consistently high quality, cost effective and timely service delivery, being adaptable in response to unplanned priorities.

To undertake training as may be required, to ensure that current parking policies are understood and legislative or policy changes are anticipated.

To provide customers with accurate information on parking policies, explaining decisions made and the impact of any legislation, regulations or traffic orders in a clear and simple manner, ensuring that all correspondence is compiled in accordance with best practice and in an empathetic Plain English style, where the correspondent is made to feel their concerns or complaints have been properly considered.

To prepare case summaries and evidence for appeal hearings and to attend personal appeals sessions at the Environment and Traffic Appeals Service, or at local or County Courts to represent the council and present the council's case as may be directed by line management.

To liaise with legal services, to determine case law and precedent as may be applicable to each appeal or statutory declaration filed, and to attend court and provide evidence when required.

To deal with complex or difficult telephone or face to face enquiries on all aspects of Parking Control and to comply with Council's Telephone Code of Practice.

To authorise the cancellation of penalty charge notices and to initiate refunds of payments on penalty charge notices and clamp and removal cases in appropriate circumstances, in accordance with the relevant legislation, traffic orders, regulations and the formal cancellation policy document, and in accordance with the stipulated timescales.