The latest research from the Driver’s Alliance partnership with the Taxpayers’ Alliance has been released.
They took a hard look at parking fines levied by local councils across the UK and came up with some surprising results.
Councils are making £328 Million a year from parking enforcement which is about three times the amount from speed cameras. This figure was broken down to the amount per person in the daytime population. This means the number of people in the area during the day so includes visitors and workers.
The highest amount taken in parking fines was an average of £85 per person in Kensington & Chelsea during 2008-09. The average income per daytime population for English councils was £6.14.
One interesting finding from the research showed the link between how councils rated as high performing (4 star) who have the freedom to spend the proceeds from parking fines in any way they wish have become amongst the highest earners.
Of the top 10 councils with the highest levels of fines per daytime population, six were rated as 4 stars by the Audit Commission which seems to indicate a link between the desire to fine drivers and the ability to use the cash raised for any purpose.
Whilst the Drivers’ Alliance are not opposed to the enforcement of parking rules, they are concerned at the apparent profiteering revealed during the research. Many stories have emerged where drivers have been fined for the pettiest infringement of parking regulations. It is also becoming clear that councils are making legal parking more difficult and expensive.
For instance:
A driver in Stone, Staffordshire who stopped momentarily to withdraw cash from a cash dispenser whose car was ticketed whilst the engine was still running and children were in the vehicle
The Japanese couple who couldn’t work out how the ‘pay-by-phone’ parking charges worked in London.
What a nice way of welcoming tourists to the UK.
Key Findings
• For the 99 percent of Councils who responded, a total of £328 million for on street parking and off street parking fines was received in the year 2008-09.
• This is a 16 per cent decrease from total parking fines in 2007-08, which was £379 million. Although it is not clear why there has been such a large decrease the recession in 2008-09 could have made motorists more cautious about incurring charges such as parking fines.
• The UK and English council that charged the most in fines relative to their daytime population is Kensington and Chelsea, with an average of £85 per person in 2008-09. The average income per daytime population for English councils was £6.14 in 2008-09.
• The council that charged the most in fines relative to their daytime population in Scotland is Edinburgh, with an average of £12 per person in 2008-09. The average income per daytime population for Scottish councils was £1.71 in 2008-09.
• The council that charged the most in fines relative to their daytime population in Wales is Denbighshire, with an average of £5.62 per person in 2008-09. The average income per daytime population for Welsh council was £1.57 in 2008-09.
• In Northern Ireland the average amount of fines compared to daytime population was £3.50 per person in 2008-09. Parking fines in Northern Ireland are dealt with by a single authority called the Northern Ireland Road Service.
• Of the top ten councils with the highest level of ‘fines per daytime population’, six were rated as 4 star councils by the Audit Commission, permitting them to spend a surplus in any way they wished.
Download a copy of the full report with details of your council HERE
Peter Roberts, Chief Executive at the Drivers’ Alliance, said:
“Parking enforcement has become a massive money making industry and we are seeing unscrupulous and target driven enforcement of parking laws where the penalties far outweigh the offence. This report shows that some local authorities are treating drivers unfairly and cashing in on parking fines.”
Jennifer Dunn, Policy Analyst with the Drivers Alliance and the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said:
“For many councils parking fines have become a lucrative source of income. But while revenues are being made at the cost of the motorist, taxpayers haven’t seen their council tax fall, or their local services improve. Motorists are being treated like cash cows, but the only people that appear to be benefiting are wardens and their bosses.”
Media coverage of the report has been widespread and generally positive. You can read some of the reports below:
Daily Telegraph
Daily Express
The Scotsman
BBC News Online: Edinburgh parking fines reach almost £7m
London Evening Standard: £200m in parking penalties paid by capital’s motorists
Ipswich Evening Star: Parking fees bonanza for authorities
Heart 103.3: Aylesbury Vale Car Parking Fines
Norwich Evening News: Thousands made through parking fines
Aberdeen Press and Journal: Crusaders accuse councils of using drivers as ‘cash cows’
Bradford Telegraph & Argus: Parking fines ‘are just a cash cow’
Liverpool Daily Post: Motorists are ‘cash cows’ for councils
Western Mail: Councils using motorists as ‘cash cows’ despite drop in fines
Yorkshire Post: Drivers ‘used as cash cows’ to cough up £300m in parking fines
Sheffield Star: £2.5m from parking fines
Lancashire Evening Post: Parking ticket revenue drops in Lancashire
Bucks Free Press: South Buckinghamshire councils got £600k from parking tickets last year
Express and Star: Parking fines pulling in £6.4m
Barnet & Potters Bar Times: Barnet has largest increase in parking fines
Sunderland Echo: Newcastle drivers get four times more parking tickets than Sunderland drivers
Newcastle Evening Chronicle: Councils Are Driving Up Car Cash Profits
Haringey Independent: Drivers in Haringey hit with £57 parking fine each day
Richmond and Twickenham Times: Hounslow and Richmond councils rake in £9m in parking fines
24Dash.com: Councils accused of using motorists as ‘cash cows’
Admiral.com: Motorists pay out £328 million in parking fines
LBC.co.uk: Council Parking Charges Revealed
Drivers’ Alliance/TPA spokespeople also appeared on a range of broadcast media including Sky news, Magic and Smooth FM, ITV London Tonight and BBC Radio London, Leeds, Merseyside, Humberside, Newcastle and Kent as well as City Talk, Beacon Radio and numerous other outlets.
Dutch Road Pricing anger grows.
De Telegraaf reports that public anger is growing about government plans to introduce road pricing schemes; the populist paper writes that the conservative VVD party has begun a protest campaign against the proposal. VVD MP Charlie Aptroot says the campaign is in response to the massive number of protests about the pay as you drive scheme and has organised a petition and is handing out stickers that say, road pricing: no way!
The party says the scheme is far too expensive and far too complicated to work and the “four billion euros set aside for the project should be spent on improving and widening existing roads”.
Under the headline “Traffic chaos predicted in 2010,” AD says Transport Minister Camiel Eurlings should do more to inform motorists about the record number of road repairs that are planned for next year. The paper reports that a majority in the lower house is extremely concerned about traffic chaos that has been predicted that next year which is just before road pricing goes ‘online’.
Fighting some big, expensive fights — for example, supporting local campaigners, lobbying ministers and commissioning important research all cost a lot.
But the cost of doing nothing is too great.
e-Innovation Centre,
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[...] we all know money makes the world go round and charging to park on public roads is a great way to make loads of money if you have the local authority powers to do so. So, the big question now for Alistair and Danny during the season to be merry is this. [...]