Ealing Council Says Technology Has Led to Surge in Parking Fines
Last year saw a 158% increase in Penalty Charge Notices
Penalty charge notice: Picture: RAC
October 3, 2024
Ealing Council has explained a massive leap in parking fines across the borough last year as being down to an increased use of technology.
Automatic number plate recognition is being used more widely and has been particularly effective in determining the validity of disabled badges.
According to the new figures obtained through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, Ealing issued 54,957 more parking fines in 2023, compared to 2022 an increase of 158%
The request made by cinch, the UK’s biggest online retailer of used cars, showed that 89,618 penalty charge notices (PCN) were issued at a rate of 246 a day in 2023 compared to 95 a day the previous year.
The brought revenue from parking fines up from £1,754,590 to £4,383,576 for the year.
The pace of issuance has not abated in 2024 with 79,216 notices issued so far generating £3,379,725 in revenue. The council does not believe that industrial action by parking attendants will have a significant impact on the final number even though second round of industrial action was announced this Thursday (3 October). Greener Ealing Ltd took over parking enforcement from Serco this April and the numbers suggest that there has been no slackening of the pace of PCN issuance.
In 2022, Coronation Road in Park Royal was where the most fines were issued with 1,514 being handed out but The Broadway in Southall saw double this amount in 2023 with 3,249 tickets issued.
Sam Sheehan, motoring editor at cinch, said, "These figures should be a reminder for all drivers to carefully check any nearby signs before parking – especially in busy areas or places they aren’t familiar with. Nobody wants to find a parking fine come through their letterbox.
"Also, if you think the fine is unfair or it’s incorrect, don’t forget you have 28 days to appeal to an independent tribunal. And, if it is correct, you might be able to reduce the fine by paying sooner rather than later. ”
An Ealing Council spokesperson said, “The increase in Penalty Charge Notices being issued is a combination of several factors which include more enforcement where parking is either prohibited and dangerous, more controlled parking zones (CPZs) being introduced, and better use of technology to monitor restrictions.
“We also monitor CPZs more efficiently by using automatic number plate recognition, and can check the validity of disabled badges, using enforcement against those that are not valid. The impact of the industrial action has been minimal, and we have put measures in place to ensure residents aren’t impacted.”
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