No parking fines for two years in county
There have been no parking fines issued in West Lothian in the past two years according to the police.
The Courier uncovered the information in a Freedom of Information request to Police Scotland.
We asked how many fines had been issued, and how much money was collected, between November 2018 to November 2020. However, the police say, as of January 27 2021, there were no fines issued in the region during those years.
The Courier understands that traffic fines remain a matter for Police Scotland in West Lothian.
Some councils, like Edinburgh and Glasgow, have introduced Decriminalised Parking Enforcement (DPE) parking legislation, which allows them to enforce parking and collect fines.
This is understood to bring in a sizeable revenue stream, but West Lothian is not one of these areas and it remains a criminal offence in the county to park illegally.
A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: “A number of checks have been undertaken in relation to this request for information. Based on a search for all parking offences recorded for the West Lothian area in the relevant time period(s) I can confirm that no records were found.”
They advised to contact the local authority but a West Lothian Council spokesperson said: “We have no powers to enforce parking restrictions in West Lothian, which can only be carried out by Police Scotland.”
Police Scotland stopped its traffic warden service throughout Scotland in 2014. West Lothian Council said at the time it would investigate introducing DPE in the region. In 2019, the council agreed to carry out a study to look at tackling the growing problems of parking and traffic, as opposition councillors pushed for a DEP plan to be introduced. By February 2020, the council’s Environment Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel (PDSP) agreed to the appointment of Peter Brett Associates LLP to carry out a £50,000 study associated with the development of a parking strategy. This has been suspended due to Covid-19.