Car parking fees surge

The value of parking tickets paid annually by motorists has climbed 11% to £350m, prompting suggestions that councils are unfairly targeting drivers.

UK drivers faced £350m worth of parking fines last year, up 11% on 2011, figures, from the Department for Communities and Local Government show.

The data also reveals that meters, permits and other parking fees generated £369m in 2013.

An additional £586m was fed into council funds via car park fees, a figure which has remained relatively flat since 2010.

Hugh Bladon from the Alliance of British Drivers criticised local authorities over the increase in parking fines.

“You do not have to be a sceptic to think that they are out to fill their coffers,” he told a national newspaper. “They find that people who drive cars are an easy target. It is the simplest thing to paint new yellow lines and set up pinch points as a means of getting money.

He added: “Drivers are already hit by excessive motoring taxes, and they’ll be extremely angry if they suspect they’re being used as a cash cow. Councils should be looking to reduce their payrolls rather than to milk drivers.”

The RAC Foundation was similarly critical of councils over their approach to parking fines. Director Professor Stephen Glaister said: "It is a case of déjà vu. Once again English councils have made record amounts from parking. Yet overall spending on local roads has fallen by 9% over the past three years with road safety expenditure down by as much as 20%."

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