If you had a parking ticket slapped on your windscreen at any point final year, you will have contributed to the record £353 million that UK motorists paid out in parking fines throughout 2012/13.
As if that figure wasn’t eye-watering on its personal, it is an boost of £37 million (11.7%) on the £316 million nearby authorities pulled in by way of parking fines for the duration of 2010/11 – around 5 occasions the rate of inflation.
When you contemplate this elevated revenue was gained at the exact identical time the government’s austerity demands forced a freeze on council tax and cuts to nearby authority spending, it’s tough not to attain the conclusion that councils have been targeting motorists to make up for budget shortfalls in other places.
So, we’ve asked the query prior to but we’ll ask it once again – are parking fines the new council tax?
Councils make as a lot in fines as fees
It’s no secret that councils have been feeling the squeeze because the Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition came to energy in 2010 and introduced swingeing austerity measures.
But just like any other enterprise that has budget cuts, nearby authorities have been in the unenviable position of possessing to take from Peter to pay Paul – with motorists assuming the function of Peter.
And if you are still not convinced motorists are getting targeted in this way, take into account that councils make almost as much from parking fines as they do from meters, permits and other parking costs, which collectively produced £369 million during 2012/13.
Taken with each other, this implies neighborhood authorities pulled in £721million in parking costs and fines final year – an boost of £59 million (79%) on the £662 million pulled in the previous year.
Interestingly, councils made a further £586 million from vehicle parks last year – a figure that has remained steady since the government’s austerity measures kicked in.
This suggests it’s a lot less difficult to make money on the streets, by painting a handful of new double yellow lines or utilizing CCTV to nab hassled parents, than it is from overdue stays in council automobile parks.
The rise in the use of spy automobiles is also assisting to swell the council’s coffers. As we reported last month, far more than 75 neighborhood authorities across the country are now making use of automobiles fitted with cameras and quantity plate-recognition application to bring even much more errant motorists to book.
And whilst it can be argued that councils wouldn’t be capable to make this money if men and women didn’t park illegally, it is also fascinating to note that the number of parking tickets issued final year truly went down.
This implies fewer motorists are parking dangerously outdoors schools, on pavements and so on – however the quantity produced in fines went up.
Hardly surprising when you think about becoming hit with a single parking ticket in central London can set you back £130!
Where does all the cash go?
So we know how significantly nearby authorities are raking in, but what specifically are they performing with all that funds? Using it to fix potholes and parking charges, apparently.
Peter Box of the Neighborhood Government Association, the umbrella body for local councils, said: “Councils are on the side of challenging-pressed motorists, keeping a lid on parking charges and fixing far more potholes than ever ahead of.”
He added: “All revenue from charges and fines is spent on operating parking services and any surplus goes on vital transport projects such as tackling the £12 billion bill to repair our dilapidated road ne2rk and supplying subsidised bus travel for youngsters or elderly residents.”
So at least the cash raised in fine is going back into our road and travel infrastructure – that is got to be at least a little crumb of comfort for anybody who’s ever had to pay a parking fine.
What are your thoughts on the amount of money councils are generating out of us motorists? Let us know…
Fine & dandy? Not if we&rsquore cash cows, say drivers
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