Shropshire Star

Councils accused of “sledgehammer” tactics over motorists’ fines

The AA has written to the transport secretary urging him to intervene to stop drivers being taken advantage of over fines

Published

Motoring chiefs have demanded government action after accusing local councils of using fines to cash in on rather than deter bad driving.

The AA has launched a campaign called ‘Caught in a Trap’, citing the number of fines issued over the summer as evidence that parking enforcers are relishing what it is calling “a Christmas blitz on drivers”.

The motoring organisation has written to transport secretary Chris Grayling setting out a list of measures that it believes should be taken to restore fairness over fines.

(PA)
(PA)

These include more transparency about how much money is brought in and at what locations, warning letters for first-time offenders in bus lanes and yellow-box junctions, and compensation for drivers who successfully appeal against a fine.

It comes after a Freedom of Information request revealed that some councils raked in millions of pounds from penalty charge notices over the summer.

The AA found that between July and September, Edinburgh received nearly £2.4 million in fines, followed by Newham Council with £2.2 million and Hackney Council with £1.7 million.

The AA says councils argue that the money is put back into local transport and filling potholes, but the organisation says that some local authorities made so much money from fines this summer that “their roads should be flawless”.

Edmund King, president of the AA, accused some councils of enforcing fines “with a sledgehammer”.

He said: “Here lie the absolute fundamentals of our ‘Caught in a Trap’ campaign: the need to restore the balance between enforcement and deterrence, and the need for targeted fines that direct driver behaviour – not punish every single little mistake because it is a nice little earner for councils and private companies.

(PA)
(PA)

“We acknowledge and welcome the fact that some councils are offering Christmas shoppers periods of free parking. However, having raked in millions of pounds in parking fines during the tourist season, we fear many councils and private parking companies will do the same in the run-up to Christmas.”

King added that where locations drew a high volume of fines, the cause should be looked into and rectified, “not tapped for every pound a council or private company can get”.

A government spokesperson said: “The government has taken a series of measures since 2010 to tackle over-zealous parking enforcement, including introducing new grace periods, stopping the industrial use of CCTV spy cars, and making clear that parking revenues cannot be used as a stealth tax.”

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