Court rejects VEMAG's attempt to injunct DVLA's new number plates
The two motions were argued on Tuesday by lawyers for the 26 embossment companies and their umbrella association. The judge dismissed both requests, holding that they lacked merit.
The High Court has rejected two injunction applications aimed at stopping the DVLA from producing and issuing 2026 vehicle number plates, dealing an early setback to a group of private embossment firms challenging the Authority’s new contracting arrangements.
The two motions were argued on Tuesday by lawyers for the 26 embossment companies and their umbrella association. The judge dismissed both requests, holding that they lacked merit.
The applications were linked to an ongoing substantive suit in which the companies want the court to nullify a contract the DVLA is said to have awarded to another operator for the embossment of number plates. The plaintiffs claim the award conflicts with an existing arrangement they say the DVLA has with their members.
One of the motions sought to bar the DVLA and the alleged new contractor from embossing or circulating plates until the case is finally determined. The second application sought a broader restraint, extending the request to cover any form of plates, including digital plates, until the main dispute is resolved.
In their statement of claim, the plaintiffs argue that earlier approvals granted to 27 of their members, coupled with the parties’ subsequent dealings, created a binding contract that has not been formally revoked. They also say the DVLA owes outstanding payments relating to pre-financing work done under the arrangement.
The firms further contend they were sidelined from preparations for a planned rollout of digitalised plates, arguing that operational steps should have started months earlier, including the issuance of blank plates.
