Follow-up questions on keying errors

By 28 August 2026, I had been told that residents were being held responsible for “keying errors”, with this being given as the reason for asking them to pay £20.

That raised further questions about how the system works – in particular, how payments are matched against vehicles recorded entering and leaving the car park, and what checks take place before a parking charge notice (PCN) is issued.

I sent a second email to Hozah and UK Parking Administration (UKPA), copying in Councillor Paul Harvey, Leader of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, Luke Murphy MP, and Festival Place’s parking team. The full text is below.

Dear teams,

Further to my email, I have been informed that residents are being told that they are responsible for “keying errors” and this is why they are being told to pay £20.

Please can you explain how this is possible?

My understanding of the system is that residents enter their registration number to pay for parking and this brings up the value of their parking charge based on the entry time of their vehicle. If it is not possible to find their vehicle, then surely it should not be possible to pay, as there is no known vehicle to pay for?

I have also become aware that UK Parking Administration (UKPA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hozah Parking Limited, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hozah Ltd. I’m not sure why the level of indirection is required for residents who see Hozah advertised all over the car park?

I would appreciate if you could please provide answers to the following questions:

1. How many PCNs has UKPA issued at Festival Place each month since the Hozah system launched in September 2025?
2. How many were appealed?
3. How many appeals included evidence that the parking tariff had actually been paid?
4. Of those, how many were cancelled, reduced to £20, rejected, or subsequently taken to POPLA?
5. What precisely causes the £20 outcome: is UKPA identifying an actual VRM keying error in each case?
6. Does UKPA automatically compare the payment database against ANPR records before issuing a PCN?
7. Can its system identify near-matching registrations and payments for the same parking period?
8. How many Festival Place cases has UKPA cancelled after a POPLA appeal?
9. Has Hozah/UKPA identified any technical faults or data-matching problems at Festival Place since September 2025?
10. What is the frequency of these?
11. What oversight does Festival Place/Estama have of PCNs, complaints and appeal outcomes?

All the best,

Alex Rowley

Asking if others had been affected

On the same day, I posted on my Facebook profile and in Calling Oakley asking other residents to get in touch:

Paid for parking at Festival Place but still received a parking charge?

I’ve heard from a few residents who say this has happened to them. I’m looking into what’s happening and would like to hear from anyone else affected, particularly if you paid and entered the correct registration.

If this has happened to you, please get in touch through my website.

There was also discussion on Spotted Basingstoke, where I was tagged.

Since then, residents have continued to email me with their experiences. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to do so. I am working through those messages and will reply to everyone who has contacted me.

Previous in this series: Residents report Festival Place parking charges despite payment

Next in this series: Where things stand on Festival Place parking

This is part of ongoing work on Festival Place parking.

This update was published on 4 September 2026. It records action taken on 28 August 2026.