Drivers are fleeced at £50 a SECOND: Councils net record £1.76bn in parking fees… and don’t expect any relief next year
- Figures reveal councils made a profit of £897million from parking for the year
- But the government figures don’t include parking fees paid to private car parks
- Campaign groups fear there will be little relief for motorists after pandemic
Drivers had to pay out a record £1.76billion in parking fees to fill council coffers last year – the equivalent of more than £50 a second.
The massive total includes £361million – or nearly £1million a day – from parking fines in English local authorities.
The figures for the year to March reveal councils made a profit of £897million from parking.
The impact of the coronavirus pandemic means parking income will have drastically reduced as shoppers stayed at home during months of lockdown.
Campaign groups fear there will be little relief for motorists once the pandemic ends
The £1.76billion for on and off-street council parking, permits and fines is a slight rise on £1.75billion from the previous year.
The government figures don’t include parking fees paid to privately run car parks.
Congestion charge schemes brought in profits of £267million and bus lane fines added £56million to council coffers. The provisional annual figures were published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Of the 20 local authorities that made the most from parking, 14 were in London.
Westminster City Council made almost £70million last year, way ahead of its nearest rival Kensington and Chelsea on £39million. In total London boroughs netted £444million from parking charges.
Elsewhere, Brighton and Hove, Nottingham, Birmingham, and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council made large profits.
The £1.76billion for on and off-street council parking, permits and fines is a slight rise on £1.75billion from the previous year
Campaign groups fear there will be little relief for motorists once the pandemic ends.
John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘Already over-taxed motorists will be driven round the bend by these latest figures.
‘While councils are right to fine people for illegal parking, they shouldn’t see drivers as cash cows to generate extra revenue.’
Hugh Bladon, from the Alliance of British Drivers, said: ‘Nobody seems to take into account the fact that every pound taken out of motorists’ pockets is a pound less that can help revive the economy.
‘High streets are suffering from the double whammy of motorists having to pay through the nose to get there in the first place and then they have less money to spend in shops, cafes and bars.’