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Case against Welsh language campaigner who refused to pay English-only car park fine thrown out

11 May 2022 3 minute read
Toni with supporters outside Aberystwyth justice centre today

A Welsh language campaigner said that he hoped he had set a new precedent after the case against him by a company that issues an English-only parking fine was thrown out of court.

Toni Schiavone was due to appear before a court in Aberystwyth today after refusing to pay an English only parking fine received while visiting the seaside village of Llangrannog in Ceredigion.

But his case was thrown out as there was no representative from One Parking Solutions, which has its headquarters in Worthing in England, was present. Toni Schiavone had refused to pay a parking fine as the penalty notice was in English only, despite him requesting it in Welsh several times.

As he had asked for all correspondence from the court in Welsh, One Parking Solutions had to translate all the information for the court, including a copy of the fine.

Toni Schiavone said: “Seeing as they’ve translated the copy of the penalty notice there is nothing to stop them from issuing penalty notices in Welsh in the future.”

“I repeatedly asked for the penalty notice in Welsh, and I would have paid the fine, but instead One Parking Solutions decided to take me to court.

“Because they had been asked to translate a copy of the penalty notice for the court they did, but it took them a court case – and I haven’t receive the official notice in Welsh at all. ”

‘Causing trouble for themselves’

Mr Schiavone said that he contacted the company requesting the penalty notice and further correspondence in Welsh several times, stating that he would then pay the fine.

“In an area as Welsh as Llangrannog why can’t we expect a Welsh language service?” Mr Schiavone said.

“I have asked several times for the penalty notice and correspondence in Welsh but One Parking Solutions has refused, arguing that it is a company based in England and that they are not obliged to issue the penalty notice in Welsh.

“It would be nothing for them to issue a penalty notice in Welsh but they have ignored the request and decided to take me to court. They are the ones causing trouble for themselves.”

Thanking supporters who came to court he said this set a precedent for the company, Toni Schiavone said that companies had to be legally obliged to do things in Welsh.

“This is just one of many private companies that run car parks,” he said. “Clearly, the Welsh Language Measure needs to to be changed to include the private sector.

“It’s been more than ten years since the Language Measure was passed, and the Welsh language Standards have made a difference in the public sector – more people can and do use Welsh language services provided by their councils’ and so on. So when will we see the same change in the private sector?” “


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Peter Cuthbert
Peter Cuthbert
1 year ago

Good to hear that the case was thrown out. The key principle here as was mentioned in yesterday’s posts is that a Welsh local authority has engaged an English company to run a car park. Why was the contract not clear that all notices and correspondence should be in both languages? Even more importantly, why has Ceredigion contracted out this task to a company in a foreign country which is effectively siphoning income from Wales that should be going into the local economy. Could I encourage those readers who are Ceredigion residents to write to their new County Councilor and… Read more »

Lebowski
Lebowski
1 year ago
Reply to  Peter Cuthbert

A political union doesn’t make the different countries within it not foreign to each other. I know it’s your fantasy but it doesn’t work like that, sorry buckaroo

Dave
Dave
1 year ago
Reply to  Peter Cuthbert

well said Peter, all Plaid voters contact your councillors, note there are a few Liberal Democrats and Independents and 1 Welsh Labour so write away

Cynan
Cynan
1 year ago
Reply to  Peter Cuthbert

So hows the emotional breakdown going Mikey?

Gill
Gill
1 year ago
Reply to  Peter Cuthbert

It’s not the council who is the owner,it;s owned by a private individual, who sounds like he is Welsh but has not interest in the community but who has farmed the business out to the Car parking people , Car Park | Maes Parcio – Pwyllgor Lles Llangrannog Welfare Committee
Seems like the Welsh Gov think a lot of him

Peter Cuthbert
Peter Cuthbert
1 year ago
Reply to  Gill

Thanks for the above. I have just heard back from my Councillor and it seems that Ceridigion is a member of a ten council consortium for the handling of Parking infringement fines which i handled out of Denbighshire. He also confirmed the point that you made that it is a private enterprise and as such, Ceredigion’s hands are tied.

David John Hughes
David John Hughes
1 year ago
Reply to  Peter Cuthbert

Totally agree with you.

Grant
Grant
1 year ago
Reply to  Peter Cuthbert

Considering England subsidies Wales .. the idea that a English company is siphoning off from the Welsh economy just shows your understanding .of economics
If anything we would be getting are own money back …

Jeuse
Jeuse
1 year ago

You defo need a Bonk to the head to set yourself right

lufcwls
lufcwls
1 year ago

Ti’n iawn Mike? Yn y pen?

Cynan
Cynan
1 year ago

It’s the English way always isn’t it? “You will not use your own language in your own country” still, if they want to waste their time and money, it’s up to them. HOWEVER, the court should award costs against the car park shysters since they threw a tantrum and everybody had to spend time and money for the case. They should also be fined for wasting the court’s time.
BTW where has mike’s tantrum gone? I was enjoying that.

Last edited 1 year ago by Cynan
hdavies15
hdavies15
1 year ago
Reply to  Cynan

Shucks ! Did I miss a tantrum ? I luv a good tantrum especially coming from an AngloBrit bigot. Did it have foam around the mouth while it spouted bile ?

Cynan
Cynan
1 year ago
Reply to  hdavies15

Nah. It kept trying to claim an intellectual high ground to which it was not equipped to scale. Kept mouthing a meaningless statistic to try and attack the Welsh language with.

CJPh
CJPh
1 year ago
Reply to  Cynan

Damo, wi’n casau colli’r tan gwyllt ‘ma. Methu siawns arall I hogi nghrafangau. O wel, sure owr name-switching Anglo wumao will return.

Howell williams
1 year ago
Reply to  Cynan

it was not anti anyone it was pro Welsh..
You made it anti English.
As the court summarised.

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
1 year ago

Justice has prevailed. So happy for Toni Schiavone. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Richard
Richard
1 year ago

Da Iawn mate 👍🏼

Johnny Gamble
Johnny Gamble
1 year ago

C,mon Mike have your say on this one 😂

Owain Morgan
Owain Morgan
1 year ago

Nation.Cymru please stop referring to this as a fine? It isn’t! This is a parking charge issued by a private company who have no authority to issue fines. If anyone receives a parking charge from a private company, regardless of the language it is issued in, ignore it because it isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. The worse thay can do is take you to court in a private prosecution and most of these cases are thrown out. They’re nothing but a bunch of money grabbing con artists!

Welshman Tomos
Welshman Tomos
1 year ago
Reply to  Owain Morgan

Same happened to my wife, she parked in one of the so called English owned car parks in Llanberis, then they tried to fine her. How can an English company fine us for parking on Welsh ground? So that’s like someone from Russia doing the same…. so how the f… can we allow this to happen. Free our country and free ourselves.
Cymru am byth!

Rhosddu
Rhosddu
1 year ago

Da iawn, Toni. “‘Wneud y pethau bychain’.

Martin Thomas
Martin Thomas
1 year ago

That’s is a tidy result, da iawn butt.

SundanceKid
SundanceKid
1 year ago

Fair play to you Toni! Glad that justice prevailed!

Last edited 1 year ago by SundanceKid

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