Councils make £820m from driving fines

RAC Foundation warns councils that money must be ‘ploughed back into’ local transport projects

Parking fine profits have boosted councils’ accounts by 10 per cent in a year, with almost £820million being generated from motorists. The RAC Foundation warned that the money must be spent on transport projects, urging car owners to read their local authority’s parking report to check how any surplus is being spent. Last month, Highways England said it was suspending 22 improvement schemes, despite being part of the Government’s £15 billion road investment proposal.

PROFITS from parking fines and tickets have swelled council coffers by 10 per cent in a year, research has found.

Almost £820million was generated from motorists failing to buy correct tickets or parking in unauthorised bays.

The RAC Foundation has insisted that the money be spent on transport projects and urged car owners to read their local authority’s parking report to check how any surplus is being spent.

The figures will raise questions over the level of reinvestment back into Britain’s roads.

Last month, Highways England said it was suspending 22 improvement schemes, despite being part of the Government’s £15billion road investment proposal. It said the move would “reduce the impact of roadworks” by spreading them out.

The parking profits were generated by the on and off-street parking activities of the 353 local authorities in England during the 2016-17 financial year.

The total was calculated by taking income from charges and penalty notices and then deducting running costs. It represents a 10 per cent rise on the 2015-16 surplus of £744million.

The data, analysed by David Leibling, a transport consultant, found that the majority of councils make a surplus on parking activities, which should be spent on local transport projects.

Many of the highest totals were in London. Westminster had the largest, a surplus of £73.2 million, followed by Kensington and Chelsea with £32.2 million and Camden with £26.8million.

The highest amounts outside the capital were reported by Brighton and Hove with £21.2 million, and Milton Keynes and Birmingham, each reporting a surplus of £11.1million.

Steve Gooding, the RAC Foundation director, said: “The upward path in profits is in part a reflection of the record number of cars and volume of traffic. The silver lining for drivers is that these surpluses must almost exclusively be ploughed back into transport and as any motorist will tell you there is no shortage of work to be done.

“We welcome the fact that councils are increasingly investing in technology to help make parking easier and less stressful.

“Westminster, for example, has created an app which directs drivers to free parking bays, helping to end the misery of prowling for a space.”

Martin Tett, the Local Government Association’s transport spokesman, claimed councils must “strike a balance” when setting charges in an attempt to ensure spaces are available.

Last month, a study revealed that one in three British motorists is fined every year, as experts suggest automation technology has created a cash cow for councils and police.