Ceredigion: Welsh language parking fine row ends in favour of driver who appealed it in court
A court case against a man who did not pay a parking fine that was written in English has been thrown out.
In September 2020, Toni Schiavone was fined for parking in a car park managed by One Parking Solutions in Llangrannog, Ceredigion.
Mr Schiavone claims he asked for a Welsh version of the penalty notice to be sent to him but the company sent correspondence in English.
He explained that he would pay the amount once he had the Welsh version.
The former teacher won his appeal at the original case in May 2022, as nobody from One Parking Solutions turned up.
Deputy Judge, Owain Williams, today threw out One Parking Solution’s case against Mr Schiavone again.
Speaking in court, Mr Schiavone said: “The travel costs of the counsel alone are more than the cost of translating the fine, and the cost of conducting the case are a hundred times or more the cost of providing a Welsh fine.
"The company’s attitude has been completely contemptuous and completely against the rights of Welsh speakers.”
The judge ordered that One Parking Solutions pay the travel expenses of Mr Schiavone, who said, the money would be donated to the charity Cancer Research Wales.
Following the case, Siân Howys, of Cymdeithas yr Iaith’s Welsh Language Rights Group, said: “We are pleased that the judge ruled in favour of the defendant, as in a similar case in Caernarfon, where the judge Mervyn Evans-Jones ruled that the defendant did not need to pay an English-only fine.
“It is becoming increasingly evident that these companies need to change their attitudes towards the Welsh language.
"To put pressure on them we will today be launching a campaign encouraging people not to pay for parking in car parks with English-only signs, nor to pay the resultant fines.
“The Government should set Standards in this area and for other businesses, such as supermarkets and banks, so that there is a requirement for the private sector to provide their services in Welsh.”
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