Ministers performed a humiliating U-turn over planned parking fine hikes yesterday after the Mail revealed they could rocket by up to 75 per cent.
In a boost for millions of drivers, the Government said it has dropped a review into hiking tickets after fury from motoring groups.
On Saturday, this newspaper exposed how ministers admitted to reviewing the cap on tickets issued by town halls in England and Wales.
Transport minister Lilian Greenwood said in a written parliamentary question last week that the government was ‘reviewing’ the cap.
And the DfT said in a statement at the weekend that ‘no decisions have been made’, adding: ‘Evidence from stakeholders such as the Local Government Association (LGA) and the British Parking Association (BPA) has been received by the Department and will need to be carefully considered before we determine if action is needed.’
But yesterday, it issued a new statement after furious motoring groups pointed out that drivers faced being treated more harshly than shoplifters, who are given £90 fines for stealing goods worth under £200.
It had also sparked fears of a backroom stitch-up by Labour to allow cash-strapped councils to balance their books off the backs of motorists.
The new statement said: ‘We have no plans to introduce higher caps for parking fines.
In a boost for millions of drivers, the Government said it has dropped a review into hiking tickets after fury from motoring groups
Transport minister Lilian Greenwood said in a written parliamentary question last week that the government was ‘reviewing’ the cap
‘We are a government firmly on the side of drivers and we fully expect councils only to use penalty charge notices as a deterrent for law-breaking, not as a way to raise funds.’
The Tories and motoring groups hailed the U-turn.
Kevin Hollinrake, the Tories’ local government spokesman, said: ‘Thanks to the joint work of the Conservatives and the Daily Mail, Labour have been caught red-handed trying to hike up charges on drivers.
‘While this apparent U-turn is welcome, the public shouldn’t be fooled. Keir Starmer spent months claiming he wouldn’t betray Brexit, only to bend the knee to Brussels at his so-called ‘surrender summit’ this week.
‘His war on motorists will continue, with Labour now blocking key Conservative policies that would have curbed unfair parking charges and reduced the spread of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods.
‘Starmer can’t seem to hold a position for more than a week. Just like farmers, pensioners, council tax payers and fishermen before them, it’s only a matter of time before drivers, too, are betrayed by yet another broken Labour promise.’
Jack Cousens, the AA’s head of roads policy, said: ‘The threat of council parking fines being hiked to £100 or more was guaranteed to rile drivers.
‘The punishment has to fit the offence. Thanks to the Daily Mail, and now a listening government, this move by councils and their agents in the parking industry has been scrapped.’
Kevin Hollinrake, the Tories’ local government spokesman, said: ‘Starmer can’t seem to hold a position for more than a week. Just like farmers, pensioners, council tax payers and fishermen before them, it’s only a matter of time before drivers, too, are betrayed by yet another broken Labour promise’
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: ‘It’s not unreasonable that fees and fines be raised modestly over time, but these changes should be gradual and proportionate, not brought in with a bang when it might appear that the rationale for doing so is more about shoring up local authority budgets than managing traffic and covering costs.’
At present, parking tickets issued by councils outside of London are capped at £60 or £70, depending on the category of fine.
Most councils offer drivers a lower fine if they pay it quickly.
The LGA, which represents councils, and industry body the BPA had submitted evidence to the DfT as part of a lobbying campaign for fines to be hiked.
The LGA has previously suggested the cap should rise as high as £122 – also backed by the BPA – to bring it into line with inflation, as it has not been raised for more than a decade.
This would have been a whopping 75 per cent hike, which the DfT initially refused to rule out.
The BPA said: ‘We are disappointed to hear the Government rule out a change for now, however we do think a more proactive stance is to delegate this to an independent tribunal to take the politics out of the decision-making process, like they do in London [where the cap is £110 or £160].
‘Nobody likes getting a parking ticket. But most people never get one unless they break the rules.’
An LGA spokesman said: ‘Income raised through on-street parking charges and fines is first spent on running parking services, with any surplus spent on essential transport improvements, including fixing local roads, reducing congestion, tackling poor air quality and supporting local bus services.’
