Plymouth made £451,000 in on-street parking charges in a year - up from £402,000
THE council has pocketed an extra £50,000 from on-road parking bays in the last year – despite a drop in drivers using them.
Official statistics show a 12 per cent rise in profits during 2011/12, compared to the previous year.
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Plymouth made £451,000 in parking charges in a year - up from £402,000
And all the surplus cash must be pumped back into the city’s transport network, including filling potholes and giving bus passes to the elderly.
The local authority said despite a fall in income its profits from on-road parking had jumped thanks to “more efficient ways of operating”.
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Plymouth City Council made £451,000 last year, compared with £402,000 in 2010/11. During that time there have been budget cuts landed on the council and redundancies among some of its staff.
As The Herald has reported previously, the council’s overall profits from pay-and-display machines in 2011/12 stood at £2.9million.
The latest parking profits figures, compiled from official council data, were released by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM).
For Plymouth, they only cover on-street parking bays – and not designated car parks.
At £38million, Westminster City Council in London posted the fattest profits in the country.
The IAM says it is concerned that councils in England made over £411million in parking charges last year – up nearly 15 per cent – while at the same time the amount spent on road safety, education and safe routes to schools plummeted by £22million, or 18 per cent.
The organisation’s chief executive, Simon Best, said: “Councils are making record-breaking profits from parking, while cutting road safety spending.
“At the same time cuts to road maintenance will mean a backlog of repairs which will simply cost more to fix in the long term.”
Plymouth is not alone in having to cut spending on road maintenance – mainly thanks to budget cuts enforced by the Government.
A council spokeswoman confirmed parking income had fallen over the last financial year.
But she added: “In spite of this, we have managed to increase our overall surplus by introducing new, more customer friendly technology – for example pay-on-foot systems in car parks – and more efficient ways of operating.
“Like other councils we are facing significant budget cuts and a reduction in our highways maintenance budget.
“This means we have far less to spend on roads and transport initiatives.
“Surpluses from parking revenue help lessen the effect of these cuts as they must be spent on transport services such as filling potholes, bus passes for the elderly, park and ride schemes, street lights, parking services and road improvement projects – things that benefit all road users at some point.”
Comments
by megiddo
Thursday, January 10 2013, 3:24PM
“If the council's overall profits from pay-and-display machines is only £2.9m, they might do better to lose that income and have no more parking charges. That would certainly be a radical first step towards Tracey Lee's objective to "put Plymouth on the map". Afterall, I'm not aware of any other UK city that has universal free parking and it would most likely cost less than some alternative "initiatives".”
by firkinjeffery
Thursday, January 10 2013, 12:45PM
“Catdaddy1214
Ear-Ear!!!
however!!!
how much of that money would go straight into the coffers of the contracted company???
by-passing any Needy Pot Hole.
if you voted blue that is what you voted for and got
fair???
F”
by raglanron1
Thursday, January 10 2013, 12:26PM
“This is an ongoing problem everywhere in cities. It would be lovely to have more deals like the £5 for the day one off western approach and the £3 for 12 hours in the private park in Millbay. It would be also reasonable if the ticket were transferable anywhere in the city for roadside parking. What about some kind of season ticket? The simplification of the system would create goodwill to.”
by sssss2010
Thursday, January 10 2013, 10:17AM
“If car parking charges were reduced this would have the effect of more people coming into Plymouth to shop. This would mean that companies would look to invest in Plymouth, therefore filling the empty shops within the City Centre, creating more jobs. Also PCC would then start to receive income from Business Rates from these shops.
But no PCC seem to want to increase parking charges as a short term fix, this has the effect reducing the number of people coming into the City Centre, making owning a shop in Plymouth less attractive, so close the shop. Which creates more unemployment. Empty shops mean no income via the Business Rates, so less revenue for PCC.
As the revenue reduces they increase the parking charges as a short term fix, and so the cycle never ends.
Lack of vision for PCC or is it just me?”
by jackplane
Thursday, January 10 2013, 10:13AM
“there was a story on here not long ago about the vast ammount of money thay r making from the bus lane cameras and the camera cars where is that money ?and when will the bus lane between golden hind and sungates be free of parked cars ?”
by circles1
Thursday, January 10 2013, 10:12AM
“Money grubbing shysters”
by Stokedave
Thursday, January 10 2013, 9:56AM
“On each occasion in the past when Plymouth City Council has sought to increase the parking charges there has been the usual hue and cry from some motorists who consider they are being ripped off; some have even suggested that they would rather drive to Exeter to do their shopping rather than fork out the extra cash. I think you would do your readers a considerable service if you were to publish the charges currently in force in neighbouring authorities such as Exeter, Torbay and Cornwall so that we can see what a good deal Plymouthians are getting. Personally I would like to see Plymouth hike their charges to bring the City into line with our neighbours and if that reduces the number of cars which ignore the speed limit and pollute the atmosphere as they pile down Alma Road so much the better; oh and yes I am a motorist.”
by catdaddy1214
Thursday, January 10 2013, 9:47AM
“Fix the damn potholes then!”
by Rick_OShay
Thursday, January 10 2013, 9:10AM
“If I submit all my parking tickets for the past year can I get a rebate off my council tax please.
Rick O'Shay
Zog”