Local authorities in England banked a staggering £1.95billion from parking fees, permits, fines and car park rent in 2022-23 - of which £962million was profit.
Councils banked £1.95billion from parking fees, permits, fines and car park rent. With operating costs stripped out, £962million of this 2022/23 total was profitBritons have hit out at councils raking in millions of pounds from parking charges as they accused them of cynically using motorists as 'cash cows' to boost their coffers.
MailOnline visited some of the rip-off hotspots - including Brighton, Bournemouth and Kensington and Chelsea in London - to speak to drivers about their concerns. Locals said there was a major divide in council-run services across exclusive parts of West London and believe local authorities have been ignoring certain areas which are 'filled with litter'.
The 54-year-old, who works in property, said the split in the amount of council money going into an area means he has dissuaded clients from buying properties in Kensington and Chelsea. 'The prices have just gone to another level since Covid. It doesn't surprise me that everything is suffering at the moment, it's just suicidal, businesses, theatres everything in the evening.'
Cheryl Yeow, a property professional who lives in Marble Arch, said parking costs were going up and the profits have not been divided equally. Ms Yeow said: 'All you need to do is look at here and Earl's Court, even South Kensington is prime and pristine, it's nicer in South Kensington.' Advertisement Parking charges are also causing issues in other cities. Outside London , Brighton & Hove City Council raked in the most at £45.2million, with £30.1million profit.
'They are making it more and more difficult for us to have a car at all', she said. 'Things like car clubs are taking all the spaces. One council-run car park near the pier in Bournemouth charges £13.20 to park for four hours, or £19.80 for a six-hour stay. 'I think they need to reconsider their pricing if they want to bring people back to the town centre, and stop all the shops closing down. The parking situation is the same as all the speed cameras - cash cows. It is horrendous'.A Jaguar car parked in Kensington, West London with a parking ticket on it in a residents' bay
'I don't know what the council is spending the money on but it is certainly not road improvements where I live.' The figures on council parking revenue were released by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and highlighted by The AA last week. Conservative MP Greg Smith, who sits on the Commons transport committee, said: 'There are some councils that are categorically taking the mickey. Some of the rates being charged are criminal.
Howard Cox, founder of the pro-motorist campaign group FairFuelUK, said: 'These are dumbfounding local authority parking incomes and prove that even under this Tory Government, drivers remain the easiest of cash cows which continue to be fleeced relentlessly.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Agbonlahor: Newcastle have a ‘brilliant’ player coming back who ‘everyone has forgotten about’The inside track on the football stories that matter
Read more »
Kyogo Furuhashi ‘frustrated’ with Celtic teammate after what expert spottedThe inside track on the football stories that matter
Read more »
Bodies lying around, women murdered in their beds and lots of dead babies: Inside the unimaginable...Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Israeli soldiers outside the Gaza Strip as he prepares for significant 'next stage' in Gaza war.
Read more »
Inside Nintendo in the 1990s: Star Fox, late nights and making the N64Bertie is a synonym for Eurogamer. Writes, podcasts, looks after the Supporter Programme. Talks a lot.
Read more »
A chilling experience with Jimmy Savile inside the shamed star's Leeds homeJimmy Savile's terrible acts have been revisited in BBC drama The Reckoning
Read more »
Urgent warning over invasion of killer giant Asian hornets in Britain...Killer Asian hornet filmed decapitating and devouring wasp in Kent amid fears of UK-wide invasion
Read more »