Councils in the UK are raking in vast profits in parking fines with some in London bringing in more than £10m a year.
While the average council can pull in around £850,000 in fines, the London Borough of Newham is collecting an eye-watering £10.6million, with 239,000 PCN’s issued at £44.46 a go.
The research, which was pulled together by Compare The Market, found that London authorities had six of the the most lucrative parking fine policies in the UK, with only Glasgow City Council able to make an impact in the top ten earners.
The average parking fine in the UK doesn’t seem too bad at £37, although drivers in Haringey (£72.04), Gosport (£66.25) and Durham (£57.93) might argue otherwise with the top three highest fines.
Dan Hutson, head of motor at Compare the Market, said: “Parking fine revenues are a cash cow for many local authorities.
“Up and down the country drivers are regularly being caught out by tight parking restrictions.
“With the third lockdown now in place, we would encourage drivers to take extra care and attention when parking up their car to ensure they avoid a parking fine.”
Council |
PCN's issued |
Total revenue |
Average fine |
Location with highest number |
London Borough of Newham |
239,000 |
£10,625,600.00 |
£44.46 |
Browning road |
London Borough of Haringey |
137,415 |
£9,898,840.00 |
£72.04 |
High Road N17 |
London Borough of Ealing |
157,759 |
£8,372,318.20 |
£53.07 |
Longfield Avenue/New Broadway |
London Borough of Redbridge |
132,084 |
£6,484,034.21 |
£49.09 |
Ilford Lane |
London Borough of Enfield |
131,820 |
£6,071,032.00 |
£46.06 |
Montagu Road/Conduit Lane |
London Borough of Lambeth |
121,895 |
£6,023,222.76 |
£49.41 |
Acre Lane |
London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham |
117,098 |
£5,570,366.00 |
£47.57 |
Macfarlane Road |
London Borough of Islington |
132,582 |
£5,479,328.00 |
£41.33 |
St John Street |
London Borough of Brent |
105,986 |
£4,662,650.00 |
£43.99 |
Kingsbury Road |
London Borough of Bexley |
129,667 |
£4,361,000.00 |
£33.63 |
Bellegrove Road, Welling |
Source: FOI to local councils by Compare the Market in August 2020 |