Warrants issued for pursue unpaid fines

“We’ve got warrants to people where they’ve got 40 penalty charge notices outstanding – 20 is not unusual.

“I couldn’t afford not to learn the message. Some of those warrants will not be executed if people cannot be traced or if they’re a vulnerable person – it then becomes revenue that is written off.

“We will often get contacted by the individual and we direct them to Citizens Advice who liaise with them and if there is any question they are vulnerable the ticket is closed.”

Operations director Zak Shell said the mobile camera car had yet to break even, saying there was a “small net cost” to the local authority at the moment.

From April 2018 to March 2019 a total of 1,041 fines were issued based on parking violations detected by the car.

Mr Angel said the camera car patrolled 48 schools in the county, visiting each one during term time around twice every month.

He told councillors the car – called Roly Patroly after a six-year-old won a competition to name it – does not visit around three schools in the county as they either don’t have any zigzag lines outside them or they’re located down dead-end roads.

During the meeting Cllr Norah Clarke said it would be better to have a sustained campaign at a different school each week saying the message was not getting through in the current format.

She said: “People are still not learning that they’re not supposed to be parking illegally.

I hope the message gets across before a child is injured.” Officers said they would look into potentially publishing the numbers of how many fines are being issued at which school on the council’s website.

Councillors also want to see if the council can name and shame serial offenders who are constantly being fined.

During the holiday period the car focuses more on other areas like pedestrian crossings and bus stops.

Of the initial 1,041 fines issued in the camera car’s first year 216 were challenged, of which 55 were accepted.

Meanwhile 10 fines reached the tribunal stage with two being upheld.

The overview and scrutiny committee took place on Thursday, November 14.