Drivers paid councils £900,000 A DAY in fines last year, as town halls handed out one million more penalty charges than the year before
- Freedom of information request revealed 9.3million fines were issued last year
- This generated £326million in revenue – or an average of £893,000 every day
- Sum is significantly larger than in 2017 when 8.1million PCNs were given out
- Figures reveal Westminster Council racked up the biggest income from fines
Drivers paid almost £900,000 a day in fines in 2018 as councils issued 1.2million more tickets than the year before.
The haul has fuelled concerns that town halls are treating motorists like ‘cash cows’ to shore up finances.
A freedom of information request has revealed that 9.3million penalty charge notices (PCNs) were issued across the UK last year for anything from parking tickets, to driving in bus lanes and stopping in yellow box junctions. This generated £326million – or an average of £893,000 every day.
The sum is significantly larger than in 2017 when 8.1million PCNs were issued, which generated £312million.
A freedom of information request has revealed that 9.3million penalty charge notices (PCNs) were issued across the UK last year (stock image)
The latest figures reveal that Westminster Council racked up the biggest income from fining drivers.
It issued 313,012 PCNs, making £16.6million over the year – equating to an average penalty of £53.
Manchester City Council dished out the most fines – just under 600,000 – which brought in £12.2million. PCN fines are generally lower outside the capital.
Councils in London made more than £175million from almost four million fines.
The findings come as councils look set to make a profit of £1billion this financial year from parking fees, such as residents’ permits and meters, and penalties, based on analysis of town hall budgets by RAC Foundation.
A poll of 2,000 drivers by the comparison website confused.com, which also carried out the freedom of information request, found that 42 per cent of people believe councils treat drivers like ‘cash cows’, with one in four (23 per cent) convinced that most fines are issued unfairly.
Of the 40 per cent who did appeal against a fine, 74 per cent said it was cut or waived, adding to the sense of injustice felt by many drivers.
The fines were for anything from parking tickets, to driving in bus lanes and stopping in yellow box junctions (stock image)
Motorists reported the biggest cause of penalties was for parking, followed by driving in a bus lane, stopping in a box junction and turning right at a no-right-turn junction.
Amanda Stretton, motoring editor at confused.com, says: ‘The fact that almost three-quarters of PCN appeals were successful last year suggests some fines are being issued unfairly.
‘With councils raking in over £326million in PCNs, it’s only right that some of this fine money is invested to help make road signs clearer to eliminate the number of fines being distributed unfairly.’
Councillor Martin Tett, transport spokesman for the Local Government Association, said: ‘Any income raised through fines is spent on running parking services and essential transport projects.
‘Councils are on the side of motorists and shoppers when setting transport policies, such as on parking, which aim to make sure that there are spaces available for residents, high streets are kept vibrant and traffic is kept moving.’