Fewer Staffordshire parking tickets lead to loss
Thousands fewer parking tickets were handed out to motorists in Staffordshire in the last year with the total plummeting by more than 10,000, new figures show.
Councils last year pocketed £814,000 in fines, down from £988,000 in 2011/12.
But the income from fines is not enough to cover the costs of traffic wardens with patrols in Cannock, Stafford, South Staffordshire and Lichfield collectively losing more than £100,000.
A draft report reveals 45,556 tickets were issued to motorists between April 2012 and March 2013, compared to 56,035 in the previous 12 months.
Around a quarter were issued in Stafford with 11,633 tickets processed by wardens.
In Cannock Chase, 5,679 tickets were issued, down from 7,136.
There was a fall of nearly 1,000 tickets in Lichfield with 5,453 being given out in the last year.
In South Staffordshire, the number dropped from 1,877 to 1,537. The report says the fall is simply down to fewer people breaching parking restrictions – although one council boss has admitted traffic wardens were told 'not to be as ruthless'.
Stafford lost £33,800, Cannock was left with a deficit of £30,600, South Staffordshire was down £24,600 and Lichfield £21,600 in the red. Stafford Borough Council leader Mike Heenan said local authorities had to strike a balance.
He said: "This is a case where as a council we cannot win. If we were making too much money we would be accused of fleecing the motorist and if we don't make enough in fines we are then losing the taxpayer money.
"We have to have car parking charges to bring order as free car parks would bring chaos. So we need to enforce the rule.
"I don't want to make lots of money from car parking or fines, but we do have to make sure we have order."
Across the county 7,007 tickets were cancelled, down from 8,343 the year before. Councillors from all authorities are due to discuss the report next Tuesday.
