£ 1.2m drop in parking fines during lockdown
GLASGOW motorists saved more than £ 1.2 million in parking fines during lockdown new figures have revealed.
A Freedom of Information ( FOI) request submitted by LeaseFletcher indicates that the City Council’s earnings from parking fines dropped by more than 88 per cent.
The table shows that between April and June 2019 the local authority collected more than
£ 1.3m in parking fines between April and June 2019 compared to £ 151,000 from April to June 2020.
Emily Hanson, of LeaseFletcher, said: “Lockdown restrictions affected almost every industry across every corner of the globe. We wanted to know how it specifically affected council parking ticket fine income. We gathered income data using FOI requests to the largest UK councils, including Glasgow.
“By comparing April- June 2019 to April- June 2020, we found that not having to worry about parking fines has been great news for us motorists.
“Councils however haven’t partaken in the joy. We investigated how much motorists across the biggest cities in the UK actually saved in parking fines during lockdown, or in other words – how large an income the councils missed out on.
“Glasgow lost the highest monetary figure. Does this signal the end of PCNs ( penalty charge notices)? Unfortunately for ordinary motorists but fortunately for the councils, it does not. As restrictions ease, PCN income is creeping back up towards pre- lockdown levels.
“So, next time you take a calculated trip to the city centre for some post- lockdown shopping, make sure you feed the meter and don’t outstay your welcome – the parking attendants are coming back in full force.”
A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: “The suspension of parking charges across Glasgow between March and July this year in support of key workers will account for this reduction in income.
“Parking controls help to ensure equitable access to available parking spaces while also enhancing road safety and traffic flow. If drivers followed the traffic regulations at all times there would be no income from parking fines.”