This is Leicestershire --
Are local authorities using parking charges as "a nice little earner"? The RAC Foundation released a report yesterday which found that parking charges made councils in England the grand total of £565m last year. RAC Foundation director Professor Stephen Glaister said: "For many local authorities, parking charges are a nice little earner, especially in London."
Here in Leicestershire, the RAC Foundation found that councils made nearly £8m through parking charges and fines from 2009 to 2012.
Leicester City Council made the most money during that period – just over £4.5m – although the council disputes that figure and believes it is actually much less.
And it points out that any surplus that it makes is invested back into travel concessions and bus subsidies. That is something that many people would probably support because encouraging more people to use public transport reduces traffic congestion.
The important thing to note in this survey is that the amount of money made through parking charges varies widely between local authorities. Professor Glaister has good cause to single out London when he uses the phrase "nice little earner". Most of the councils in the top 10 for parking surpluses are in the capital. Westminster heads the list with £41.5m last year alone; Kensington and Chelsea was next with £28.1m; and Camden third with £25m.
In comparison, the surpluses made in Leicester and Leicestershire are peanuts – indeed some councils spent more running their parking operations than they gained in income.
Even so, some people might feel that any surplus is wrong and that parking charges should only ever be used to cover the cost of providing car parks and wardens.
However, we think it is reasonable to generate a small surplus for investment in public transport. That has to be balanced against the need to ensure that parking regimes are not so aggressive that they punish drivers unfairly and deter people from town centres.
People will have different views about exactly where that balance lies but the figures do not suggest that councils in Leicester and Leicestershire are over-zealous. And it is worth noting that the city council says it has not increased parking charges for at least three years. Reported by This is 21 hours ago.
Are local authorities using parking charges as "a nice little earner"? The RAC Foundation released a report yesterday which found that parking charges made councils in England the grand total of £565m last year. RAC Foundation director Professor Stephen Glaister said: "For many local authorities, parking charges are a nice little earner, especially in London."
Here in Leicestershire, the RAC Foundation found that councils made nearly £8m through parking charges and fines from 2009 to 2012.
Leicester City Council made the most money during that period – just over £4.5m – although the council disputes that figure and believes it is actually much less.
And it points out that any surplus that it makes is invested back into travel concessions and bus subsidies. That is something that many people would probably support because encouraging more people to use public transport reduces traffic congestion.
The important thing to note in this survey is that the amount of money made through parking charges varies widely between local authorities. Professor Glaister has good cause to single out London when he uses the phrase "nice little earner". Most of the councils in the top 10 for parking surpluses are in the capital. Westminster heads the list with £41.5m last year alone; Kensington and Chelsea was next with £28.1m; and Camden third with £25m.
In comparison, the surpluses made in Leicester and Leicestershire are peanuts – indeed some councils spent more running their parking operations than they gained in income.
Even so, some people might feel that any surplus is wrong and that parking charges should only ever be used to cover the cost of providing car parks and wardens.
However, we think it is reasonable to generate a small surplus for investment in public transport. That has to be balanced against the need to ensure that parking regimes are not so aggressive that they punish drivers unfairly and deter people from town centres.
People will have different views about exactly where that balance lies but the figures do not suggest that councils in Leicester and Leicestershire are over-zealous. And it is worth noting that the city council says it has not increased parking charges for at least three years. Reported by This is 21 hours ago.