Parking operations reap record sum for councils

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/dec/23/english-councils-record-surpluses-motorists-parking

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Councils are making record surpluses from their parking activities, according to the RAC Foundation. In 2012/13, English councils generated a combined "profit" of £594m from their on- and off-street parking operations, the foundation said.

This was a 5% increase on the figure of £565m for 2011/12, and just 52 of the 353 parking authorities in England reported a deficit in 2012/13.

The RAC said its data came from the annual returns councils make to the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).

The figures are calculated by adding up income from parking charges and penalty notices, then deducting running costs.

The authority with the largest surplus in 2012/13 was Westminster, with £39.7m. The four biggest earners were all in London, and the only other cities to break into the top 10 were Brighton, Nottingham and Manchester.

Budgets submitted to the DCLG by local authorities suggest the surplus (before capital charges) for the current financial year will be higher still, at £632m.

Professor Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation, said: "It is a case of deja vu. Once again English councils have made record amounts from parking.

"Yet overall spending on local roads has fallen by 9% over the past three years, with road safety expenditure down by as much as 20%.

"The government's recent decision to consult on changes to parking rules and regulations is timely and we have always argued that at the very least all councils should publish an annual parking report to explain how much money is collected from drivers and, just as importantly, where that cash is going."

Peter Box, chairman of the Local Government Association's economy and transport board, said: "This report further peddles the myth that councils are using parking charges to raise money.

"The reality is that the average motorist is paying 30 times more to Whitehall in charges and taxation each year than they do to their town hall through parking."

Councils with the biggest surpluses in 2012/13<br />

1 Westminster, £39.7m

2 Kensington & Chelsea, £30.44m

3 Camden, £23.5m

4 Hammersmith & Fulham, £19.4m

5 Brighton & Hove, £16.25m

6 Wandsworth, £15.9m

7 Lambeth, £12m

8 Nottingham city, £11.79m

9 Manchester, £8.78m

10 Islington, £8.21m

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