What to file before a small claims parking hearing — and the bundle rules that actually apply
The court's standard direction gives you one date to hit: at least 14 days before the hearing, file at court and serve on the claimant copies of everything you intend to rely on. What the general guides then get wrong is which bundle rules apply to a small claim. The famous ones do not.
“a direction that each party shall, at least 14 days before the date fixed for the final hearing, file and serve on every other party copies of all documents (including any expert's report) on which he intends to rely at the hearing”
— Civil Procedure Rules, Part 27 — The Small Claims Track, rule 27.4 — checked 29/08/2026
“The following Parts do not apply to small claims— … Part 31 (disclosure and inspection); Part 32 (evidence) except rule 32.1 …”
— Civil Procedure Rules, Part 27 — The Small Claims Track, rule 27.2 — checked 29/08/2026
This matters in a practical way, not just a pedantic one. It means you are not obliged to build a formal indexed trial bundle for a £100 parking claim, and it means the answer to "do my pages need numbering?" is read your directions order, not "PD 32 says so". Small claims directions are deliberately light. Where the court has asked for a paginated, indexed bundle, or where you are filing electronically to a court that has told you how, the electronic-bundle standard below is the one to follow.
What to file, in the 14-day window
The direction says "all documents … on which he intends to rely". For a parking claim that is a short and predictable list. Anything you leave out, you are choosing not to rely on.
| Document | Why the judge will want it |
|---|---|
| Your witness statement | Your evidence is what you say happened, in your own words, signed with a statement of truth. On the small claims track it usually carries your whole case |
| The parking charge notice itself | Its date is the start of every window on the deadline table, and its wording is what the operator must stand behind |
| The notice to keeper, with its envelope or postmark if you kept it | The POFA timing check — a notice outside the statutory window did not transfer keeper liability |
| Photographs of the signage as it was on the day | The contract the operator relies on is the sign. If it was obscured, absent or unreadable, this is the only way to show it |
| Your payment record, permit, ticket or app receipt | Direct evidence on the alleged breach |
| Your appeal and the operator's rejection | Shows what the operator's own case was before it changed |
| The POPLA or IAS decision, if there was one | Not binding on the court, but it is the operator's own paper trail |
| Any correspondence you are quoting | Referring to a letter you have not filed leaves the judge nothing to read |
If your directions do ask for an electronic bundle
There is no single UK rule for electronic bundles — there are at least 10, and they contradict each other. For a County Court claim with no specific court guide, the working standard is the general guidance of 29 November 2021. These are its requirements, quoted:
| Requirement | Level | Wording |
|---|---|---|
| PDF format | Must | “E-bundles must be provided in pdf format.” |
| Computer-generated pagination matching the PDF numbering | Must | “All pages in an e-bundle must be numbered by computer-generated numbering, not by hand. The numbering should start at page 1 for the first page of the bundle (whether or not that is part of an index) and the numbering must follow sequentially to the last page of the bundle, so that the pagination matches the pdf numbering.” |
| Not numbered by hand | Must | “All pages in an e-bundle must be numbered by computer-generated numbering, not by hand.” |
| Index entries hyperlinked | Must | “Each entry in the index must be hyperlinked to the indexed document.” |
| All significant documents and sections bookmarked | Must | “Each entry in the index must be hyperlinked to the indexed document. All significant documents and all sections in bundles must be bookmarked for ease of navigation, with a short description as the bookmark. The bookmark should contain the page number of the document.” |
| OCR on typed-text pages | Must | “All pages in an e-bundle that contain typed text must be subject to OCR (optical character recognition) if they have not been created directly as electronic text documents.” |
| Filename: case reference, case name, content | Must | “The filename for a bundle must contain the case reference and a short version of the name of the case and an indication of the content of the bundle.” |
| Bookmark titles carry page numbers | Should | “The bookmark should contain the page number of the document.” |
| No page upside down | Should | “Any page that has been created in landscape orientation should appear in that orientation so that it can be read from left to right. No page should appear upside down.” |
| Default view 100% | Should | “The default view for all pages should be 100%.” |
| Not greater than 300 dpi | Should | “The resolution of the bundle should not be greater than 300 dpi, in order to avoid slow scrolling or rendering. The bundle should be electronically optimised so as to ensure that the file size is not larger than necessary.” |
Source: General guidance on electronic court bundles. Rulebook last checked 15 August 2026. The full general-civil rulebook, with every source, is here.
Filenames are the requirement people miss most often, because it is not about the document at all — the general guidance wants the file itself to carry case reference, short case name, content indication. And if you are emailing a justice.gov address, 36MB is the aggregate limit for the email and its attachments; anything larger is rejected outright, which is a delivery constraint rather than a rule about your bundle.
Check my bundle against the rules — before I file itUpload the PDF and it is checked in your own browser against the rulebook for the court you are actually in: pagination, index links, bookmarks, OCR, resolution, filename, size. The file never leaves your machine.
Writing the witness statement
- Head it properly — court name, claim number, the parties, your name, and that it is your first statement.
- Number every paragraph. It is how the judge and the claimant will refer to your evidence in the hearing.
- Chronological order, from arrival to the claim form. Facts, not argument.
- Say what you saw, not what you have read is usually true. "The sign at the entrance was turned to face the wall" is evidence. "These signs are often non-compliant" is not.
- Exhibit and reference every document you mention.
- Sign the statement of truth in the current wording. An unsigned statement is not evidence.
Common questions
When do I have to send my documents for a small claims parking hearing?
At least 14 days before the hearing date, filed at court and served on the other party — that is the standard direction at CPR 27.4. Read your own directions order: the court can and does vary it.
Do I need a formal court bundle for a parking claim?
Usually not. Part 32 does not apply to the small claims track except rule 32.1, so PD 32's trial-bundle requirements are not what governs your hearing. Follow the directions order the court sent you. If it asks for an indexed, paginated or electronic bundle, the general-civil electronic-bundle standard above is the one to meet.
Do the pages need numbering?
Only if your directions say so, or if you are filing an electronic bundle — in which case the numbering must be computer-generated and must match the PDF page labels, and hand numbering is not accepted.
Do I need a solicitor?
No. The small claims track is designed to be used without one, and CPR 27.14 means the court generally cannot order you to pay the other side's legal costs — the costs rule is set out in full here. Free help is available from Citizens Advice.
What if I miss the 14-day date?
File as soon as you can and tell the court why it is late. The court has discretion to admit documents served late, but it does not have to, and evidence the judge has not seen is evidence that cannot help you.