£500,000 is raised from driver fines
More than half a million pounds has been raised from parking fines in one Black Country town since the council took over the role from police.
More than half a million pounds has been raised from parking fines in one Black Country town since the council took over the role from police.
Walsall Council netted a total of £553,000 in 10 months from motorists parking illegally. The council became the latest council in the region to take control of parking enforcement from police last April.
In October it was revealed almost 14,500 parking tickets were issued by Walsall traffic wardens in six months – nearly triple the number handed out in an entire year by police. But hundreds of tickets were also cancelled. Further statistics are expected in a May review. Councillor Tom Ansell, cabinet member for transport, said: "We have a legal duty to look after parking enforcement. We do this to free up police officers to tackle other issues and to help make our streets safer.
"We do this, for example, by targeting thoughtless motorists who leave their vehicles in dangerous locations on double yellow lines. This helps make Walsall safer to motorists and pedestrians.
"To date no surplus has been generated as the £553,000 raised through penalty charge notices has been used to cover the costs of providing the service.
"We don't set targets for the number of penalty charge notices to be issued and actively encourages motorists to comply with all parking restrictions."
The scheme has come under fire with accusations that motorists are being treated like cash cows. Fines swelled council coffers in Britain by £328 million between April 2008 and April 2009 according to figures from the Taxpayers' Alliance.
Peter Wilkes, who ran Tobias barbers shop in Walsall's Bridge Street for almost 20 years, said a zero-tolerance approach by the wardens was the final nail in the coffin of his business which he shut last year. Bus drivers, police and traffic wardens have all had tickets leading to complaints.
Elsewhere, more than 700 parking tickets were issued in the first eight months after South Staffordshire took over parking enforcement from police at the end of March 2009. More than 90 tickets a month on average were given out in villages including Brewood and Wombourne.
