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Is it legal for the council to send you a fine in the post? Surely thay have an obligation to at least attempt to attach a fine to the vehicle so that the driver is made aware of the alleged infringement. If they allege that a car was parked somewhere at a certain time do they have a legal obligation to provide proof that this was the case such as a photo of the vehicle in the space, otherwise what is to stop them just sending out tickets to whomever they please alleging that the vehicle was parked there?

Under most circumstances a ticket will be placed on the vehicle, but it's not uncommon for it to be blown away or removed, so it's not really a defense to say there was no ticket attached.
You can choose to have the case heard by a court, but without knowing more about the circumstances, it's going to be a dificult one to win on the grounds you have alluded to.
Councils aren't in the habit of seending out ficticous tickets, so the onus is likely to be on you to prove that you weren't there. Reading between the lines, it sounds as if perhaps you were?