Motorists hit by £782 MILLION in council parking fines as charges increase by £160 million in a year

By MATT DAVIES, HEAD OF SEO

Motorists paid out a record £782 million in parking fines to councils last year - £160 million more than the previous 12 months.

Campaigners have accused councils of treating motorists as 'wallets on wheels' over the 26 per cent increase in fines collected by town halls.

The figures reveal 1,500 motorists an hour were hit with fines, which average £60 but can go up to £160, or more than 35,000 tickets a day.

The sharp rise comes after many councils increased the level of fines and expanded parking control zones.

But pressure groups said part of the increase may be explained by motorists, often elderly, lacking the technology skills to deal with the apps now required to pay for a parking spot via smartphone.

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy at the AA, said: 'Council parking fine levels are only growing and drivers are being seen as wallets on wheels.

'With budgets stretched, one way councils can generate cash is to squeeze more from parking fees and charges.

'Using an app should be part of the offering to drivers, not the only option. People still want to pay for parking with cash or card at the machine, so they can then spend on the High Street.'

Campaigners have accused councils of treating motorists as 'wallets on wheels' over the 26 per cent increase in fines collected by town halls (file image)

Many councils have withdrawn pay and display parking machines in favour of parking apps, claiming it saves money by reducing the risk of theft and avoiding the need to upgrade machines.

Dennis Reed, director of the over-60s group Silver Voices, said: 'Councils are driving senior citizens off the road with their punitive parking policies, to the great detriment of the High Street.

'Not only are parking charges now ubiquitous but often they require a downloaded app on a smartphone in order to park legally at all. This is gross discrimination against all those without a smartphone, or the digital skills to use such appliances.'

Much of the record haul was collected by councils in London, where fines increased by £30 up to £160 last year, and those in other major cities around the country.

The top 16 councils for parking ticket income were all in the capital, with Westminster in central London raking in nearly £50 million in tickets.

Outside the capital, Manchester collected the most revenue, narrowly edging out Brighton and Hove. Leicester, Leeds, Liverpool and Newcastle were also in the top ten.

The true total for parking penalties is likely to be even higher as nine of the country's local authorities, including Birmingham, failed to submit their statistics in time to be included in the analysis.

Hugh Bladon, a founder member of the Alliance of British Drivers, said: 'Councils are relying on taking money out of the motorists' pockets to subsidise the running of their authorities.

The figures reveal 1,500 motorists an hour were hit with fines, which average £60 but can go up to £160, or more than 35,000 tickets a day (stock image) 

'The motorist is seen as an easy target and there are more and more rules and regulations that they can fall foul of and end up being fined. It doesn't seem fair.'

Benjamin Elks, of the Taxpayers' Alliance, added: 'Councils raking in £782 million from parking fines in a year looks less like managing traffic and more like using motorists as cash machines.'

A spokesman for the Local Government Association said councils have faced a massive increase in vehicles in recent decades, which has led to more demand for parking.

'Councils take their responsibility to help ensure sufficient parking provision and enforce against those who park illegally very seriously.

'Over the last 25 years there has been an increase of ten million more vehicles on our roads. This has made it increasingly challenging for councils to manage parking demand.'