Top ten councils for squeezing cash out of motorists are named and shamed as parking charge profits top £867million

COUNCILS across the country are making a mint from parking charges as profits soar to a total of £867million. The sum, including both on and off-street parking, is a rise of five percent on the previous year and up by 32 percent over four years. All the London boroughs made a total of £406m while […]

COUNCILS across the country are making a mint from parking charges as profits soar to a total of £867million.

The sum, including both on and off-street parking, is a rise of five percent on the previous year and up by 32 percent over four years.

Rob Wilkinson

All the London boroughs made a total of £406m while £461m came from the rest of England, according to a report by the RAC and Click4reg.co.uk.

Brighton and Hove council made a whopping profit of £23.4m in 2017-18 a rise of ten percent on the previous financial year when it still made £21.2m.

Milton Keynes raked in a profit of £11.3m, a rise of just one percent over the same period, putting it second on the list.

Not far behind that was Birmingham, taking in £11.2m, just marginally up from the £11.1m it made the previous year.

Cornwall profited to the tune of £9.7m. the same as last year, putting it in fourth place while Bristol wasn’t far behind in fifth, with £9.5m.

Medway Towns saw its profits leap by a colossal 65 percent year-on-year from £3.1m to £5m now, putting it in 18th place on the league of shame.

Southampton also saw its profits leap by 62 percent from £4.2m to £6.8m.

The councils in England generated a total revenue of £1.6billion in parking fees.

Under the law any profits councils make has to be used solely for transport projects.

These large leaps in profit will astonish many motorists

RAC's Steve Gooding

The figures have been released ahead of expected increases to parking charges which will take effect from next month.

Many councils are also said to be increasing the cost of residential permits and some areas are ending the cheaper Sunday rates.

Managing director of Click4reg.co.uk Elie Fakhoury said: “Parking charges are an emotive issue. Yes, charges are necessary. Motorists need structure, rules – and councils need funding. But in such excess? Upwards of £867 million in surplus charges alone? Perhaps there is due reason why councils make so much money from the charges.

“I do believe though, that councils should make an active effort to inform residents of how the excess cash is used, to remind residents it is being used for key local development projects.

“My advice to motorists is be smart. Don’t park in the most popular and convenient car park, if you can help it – as rates are often far higher in these areas. Take time to research your options locally, or further afield, and compare prices.”

The RAC’s Steve Gooding said: “These large leaps in profit will astonish many motorists.

“Local authority parking has become big business. The turnover and profit that many councils are seeing would be the envy of many high street retailers.

“It is exactly these struggling firms that councils must ensure they are not killing off by pricing drivers out of towns and cities.”

Councillor Martin Tett, of the Local Government Association, said: “Any income raised through on-street parking charges and parking fines is spent on running parking services and any surplus is only spent on essential transport projects, such as tackling our national roads repair backlog and other local transport projects.

“Councils are on the side of motorists and shoppers when setting parking policies, which aim to make sure there are spaces available for residents, high streets are kept vibrant and traffic is kept moving.”

Yesterday it was revealed all new cars sold in the UK will need an Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) limiter fitted as standard by 2022.

The special gadget will stop people driving over the speed limit and is part of several new safety measures given the green light by the European Commission.

While Britain may have left the EU by the time the European Parliament votes on it, the UK is expected to approve the measures as well.

Alamy

Alamy