Pickles: Stop these money-making council parking rackets

Councils are breaking the law by using parking enforcement powers as a "cash cow", Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles has said.

Local authorities in England could be banned from using CCTV cameras and “spy cars” to impose parking fines on motorists under new Government proposals unveiled today.

Mr Pickles told ITV’s Daybreak that councils using parking to supplement their income were acting “outside the law” and should prioritise tackling people who are “negligent or inconsiderate in terms of parking or causing dangers to others”.

He said: “We are worried that what is happening in local authorities is they are using parking fines as a kind of a cash cow from motorists. The legislation is very clear, you cannot do so.

“The legislation originally on CCTV was really about ensuring it was about stopping crime, not using it as a way just to pick out motorists to make that extra few bob.”

A Government consultation paper will suggest amending legislation underpinning the Traffic Management Act 2004 to outlaw the practice.

The Department for Transport says CCTV should be used only when it is impractical to use traffic wardens.

Mr Pickles said the Government was also looking at increasing the “grace” period for motorists to get back to their vehicle before being fined from five minutes to 15 minutes.

He also suggested it will be made easier to challenge wrongly issued tickets.

He criticised councils, saying that rather than using parking enforcement to raise money they should look to make similar cost savings to those made by the Government since the 2010 election.

“We mustn’t fall into the trap, into believing that it is either whacking great parking fines or services deteriorating,” he added.

“We should be on the side of ensuring the public have a fair deal and we should ensure people can go and park reasonably, not find themselves in a situation (where) they are worried all the time if they are a few minutes late they are going to have a whacking great fine.”

The announcement will be seen as a morale-booster as Conservative activists prepare to head off for their annual party conference next week in Manchester.

Mr Pickles told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that between 75 councils, almost a million fines were issued by mobile cameras and 10 million by static cameras over a five-year period.

Asked if he thought that local authorities were using cameras “just to catch people out and raise money”, he replied: “I’m afraid I do.”

RAC Foundation director Professor Stephen Glaister said: “The issue is not so much about how parking policy is enforced but what the policy is being used to achieve.

“English councils make a surplus of over £500 million each year from parking and the suspicion remains that arbitrary rules are imposed to help maximise revenue rather than prevent congestion. Nobody wants a parking free for all, but they do want reasonable charges and fairness, whatever method is used to achieve it.”

The Local Government Association denied claims that parking enforcement was just a way to make money.

Councillor Tony Ball, vice-chairman of its economy and transport board, said: “Parking controls are not about revenue raising, they are absolutely essential for keeping the roads clear and making sure people can park near their homes and local shops.”

AA president Edmund King said: “What really irritates drivers is the street-level hostility they feel is being waged against them.

“Drivers feel that civil enforcement officers are lurking in every street and are not there to deter them but to issue a ticket as soon as the driver’s back is turned.

“The fact that local authorities actually plan to make more than £634 million surplus from parking in the coming year exposes them to accusations of profiteering and having to prop up local services on the backs of drivers.”

He went on: “It could be argued that parking control and management is losing its way. The creep of parking charges and restrictions to evenings and weekends may be justified in very high pressure spots but it must not become the norm. It damages local economies.

“Parking must be managed fairly. There often appears to be little room to accept that drivers sometimes make mistakes and have problems finding and paying for parking. When things do go wrong drivers are often treated like criminals for a minor parking mistake.”