Double Whammy on Parking Charges

News out today reveals that before the proposals to double parking charges in parts of the borough, as part of a general boroughwide increase K&C already rakes in more than any other council in parking fines.

A whopping £36 million was recovered by the town hall in parking fines which is hardly surprising since the top whack fine of £120 is also the highest. Yes, yes if you pay within a certain time the fine is reduced we know that.

Kings Road topped the boroughs hotspots chucking over £200 thousand into the council coffers, although this was roundly beaten by a road in Lambeth that was a hundred thousand or so short of a million.



Now that got Hornet kind of wondering.......


Messers Cockell, Palmer, Moylan and all their little friends were since the first time Red Ken mooted a western extension banging on how bad it was, its a disgrace, why should we pay for it, and we dont want it, type stuff.

Now that the Coalition Government have, predictably, cut the funding to councils the same bunch now that  Bojo scrapped the money making wheeze of the western extension have bumped up parking fees and fines to help fill the void.

Yes, there has to be sensible parking controls of course otherwise it would be bedlam, but that doesnt mean you can charge and fine to the max. Businesses rely on people being able to park their cars be that shoppers or workers, and the public transport option isnt always an option.

For the nay-sayers who will bleat on about how parking money is ringfenced so has to be spent on transport, yes you are right EXCEPT if the council is rated highly then it can spend it on what it likes...

....so is that what paid for the Chinese granite and cheesecake?