Cancelling Zoë Bread fine was mistake, council says

TikTok campaigner Zoë Bread operates under a loaf-based alias

A council decision to quash a woman's parking fine, following a series of viral videos on TikTok challenging the penalty, was incorrect and "does not set a precedent" for similar fines to be rescinded, the authority has said.

Liverpool City Council's comments come after masked social media campaigner Zoë Bread filmed instances where on-street signage in the city centre did not reflect recent changes to parking rules.

Bread's Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) was issued at 9.28pm on Bixteth Street on 12 August, weeks after free evening parking in Liverpool city centre was terminated.

Her fine was subsequently rescinded, but a council spokesperson has now said that decision "was issued incorrectly".

In July, Liverpool City Council changed the hours for paid parking in its City Centre Controlled Parking Zone to 7am until 11pm.

Previously parking had been free in the controlled zone after 6pm.

The authority ended free evening parking in the city centre despite almost 90% of local people indicating they were against the change during the council's consultation process.

Appealing the PCN after she was fined in August, Bread – who, on social media, hides her real identity behind a slice of bread – highlighted how a "lack of clear, visible signage" at the time she parked, combined with "long-standing prior practice" meant it was "reasonable to assume that parking remained permitted".

Her filmed footage in the city centre also captured the confusion of some parking wardens about when the rule change had been implemented.

A freedom of information (FOI) request submitted by Zoë Bread revealed thousands of other people had received similar fines in Liverpool city centre since mid-July, which would not have been issued prior to the parking rule change.

Bread's fine was later rescinded by the council on a discretionary basis.

Speaking to the BBC, she said the council's acceptance of her appeal "felt like they've just co-signed everything I've been saying", and she had seen it as an admission that it was "all their fault".

"It's just kind of funny, because it puts them in a spot where they sort of have to cancel everyone's [fines] - that's how I see it," she said.

"They just need to cancel all the tickets and put a sign up that says: 'New hours in force' on every road."

Liverpool City Council has said the letter cancelling Zoë Bread's fine "did not follow the expected process"

The campaigner said she believed signage around the council's parking changes was confusing and intended as a money-making exercise.

"They're clearly hoping that it will catch people out - because if they didn't want to catch people out, they would have just put signs up that said 'New Enforcement Hours'," she said.

She added: "They put small-print hours on the machines, but you only go to the machines if you're going to buy a ticket. If you park when you think it's free, then you don't go and look at the machine, obviously."

Her recent campaign echoes a long-running battle she had with Manchester City Council earlier this year, about "confusing" pay-and-display signage on a street close to a privately-run car park.

In that instance, the authority ultimately admitted signage "could be clearer" and quashed both her parking fine and a number of other fines which had been issued on a similar basis.

But a Liverpool City Council spokesperson told the BBC the decision to accept Zoë Bread's appeal had been a mistake, and staff would be told not to make any similar decisions - based on the same criteria - going forward.

"Having reviewed the case in question, we have found that the PCN was cancelled on a discretionary basis. In this case, the decision did not follow the expected process and was issued incorrectly," a spokesperson said.

"We have spoken with the staff involved to review and offer guidance for similar cases.

"The outcome of this appeal does not set a precedent for any other PCNs.

"It is the responsibility of all motorists to ensure that they are following local parking regulations when they park their vehicle. Liverpool City Council provides clear information on payment machines for on-street parking.

"The information is also available on the council's website.

"An individual may be subject to a PCN if they do not present a valid parking ticket."