One year’s parking fines add up to £1m
This is Lancashire
By Gareth Tidman
24th June 06
PARKING bosses took £1.1 million in fines last year after handing out 44,000 tickets in Bolton.
The figures were released by Bolton Council as local authorities across the country were accused of using parking as a "cash cow" by Opposition MPs.
Parking bosses in Bolton said that the money they raised through fines went straight back into running the parking enforcement system.
Ian Taylor, head of car parking services, said that last year there was a surplus of just £100,000 after the council had paid its contract to NCP, which manages parking attendants in the town, and after it had covered the cost of running the central parking office in Marsden Road, Bolton.
He said money had also been usd to pay off the costs of setting up the present parking service in 2000 when local authorities took over from police the responsibility for enforcement. Mr Taylor said: "Some councils make a lot of money out of parking, but Bolton is not one of them.
"This most certainly isn't a cash cow for the council. We do not forecast to make a surplus, we just aim to run the scheme. We draw up an enforcement strategy in the town tailored to what we think is required to make sure people park safely.
"If all the drivers in Bolton started parking properly, we would have to downsize the service pretty quickly."
Figures show that of the 44,000 tickets handed out in the borough, 27,000 were for on-street offences and 16,300 went to drivers parked in council-run car parks.
Of these, 6,315 or nearly 14 per cent were quashed on appeal, most of them as a result of a rule which lets off on the first occasion drivers with a valid ticket or blue parking badge which has not been displayed correctly.
Drivers caught parking illegally are given £60 fines but can claim a 50 per cent discount if they pay within 14 days.
Opposition MPs said councils were using the parking system as a "cash cow" after it was revealed that drivers are paying out £1.2 billion nationally in fines a year.
Calls are being made in Parliament for a single national system governing parking attendants to cut out confusion over parking laws and over-zealous enforcement.
Cllr John Byrne, executive member for environmental services at Bolton Council, said: "I think standardised parking rules across the country would be a good idea and would help to eliminate confusion.
"I think that the Government should look at Bolton when establishing a new system because parking services are run very well here."
By Gareth Tidman
24th June 06
PARKING bosses took £1.1 million in fines last year after handing out 44,000 tickets in Bolton.
The figures were released by Bolton Council as local authorities across the country were accused of using parking as a "cash cow" by Opposition MPs.
Parking bosses in Bolton said that the money they raised through fines went straight back into running the parking enforcement system.
Ian Taylor, head of car parking services, said that last year there was a surplus of just £100,000 after the council had paid its contract to NCP, which manages parking attendants in the town, and after it had covered the cost of running the central parking office in Marsden Road, Bolton.
He said money had also been usd to pay off the costs of setting up the present parking service in 2000 when local authorities took over from police the responsibility for enforcement. Mr Taylor said: "Some councils make a lot of money out of parking, but Bolton is not one of them.
"This most certainly isn't a cash cow for the council. We do not forecast to make a surplus, we just aim to run the scheme. We draw up an enforcement strategy in the town tailored to what we think is required to make sure people park safely.
"If all the drivers in Bolton started parking properly, we would have to downsize the service pretty quickly."
Figures show that of the 44,000 tickets handed out in the borough, 27,000 were for on-street offences and 16,300 went to drivers parked in council-run car parks.
Of these, 6,315 or nearly 14 per cent were quashed on appeal, most of them as a result of a rule which lets off on the first occasion drivers with a valid ticket or blue parking badge which has not been displayed correctly.
Drivers caught parking illegally are given £60 fines but can claim a 50 per cent discount if they pay within 14 days.
Opposition MPs said councils were using the parking system as a "cash cow" after it was revealed that drivers are paying out £1.2 billion nationally in fines a year.
Calls are being made in Parliament for a single national system governing parking attendants to cut out confusion over parking laws and over-zealous enforcement.
Cllr John Byrne, executive member for environmental services at Bolton Council, said: "I think standardised parking rules across the country would be a good idea and would help to eliminate confusion.
"I think that the Government should look at Bolton when establishing a new system because parking services are run very well here."
posted by Neil Herron at 2:04 PM
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