£12,930: That's How Much the Council Makes in One Day from Sunday Parking Charges (Cllr Marc Ramsbottom)

Cllr Marc Ramsbottom <info@marcramsbottom.org.uk>

£12,930: That's How Much the Council Makes in One Day from Sunday Parking Charges

November 5, 2011 5:06 PM

Cllr Marc Ramsbottom with local Chinese business leaders protesting about the extend parking on Sundays

Following a Freedom of Information request by Cllr Marc Ramsbottom, Labour Town Hall Parking bosses have revealed that they have raked in £12,930 on the first day after introducing parking charges on a Sunday. The Council confirmed that 431 Fixed Penalty parking charge notices were issued on Sunday 30th October compared to only 126 on the Saturday before - almost a fourfold increase. Many residents and motorists complained they were caught unaware of the exact date when Sunday charges were coming in with only a tiny notice on the parking meters themselves to warn drivers.

"At time when many businesses are struggling, it's madness to extending charging for on-street parking to 8am to 8pm during the week and Saturdays, and it's a body blow for many businesses to charge on a Sunday", said City Centre Lib Dem Cllr Marc Ramsbottom.

Meanwhile, Labour Councillors have been caught out misleading local residents about why the charges have been extended. They've tried to blame Government cuts for the new parking charges, but it's illegal for Council's to raise money through parking charges to pay for other Town Hall services.

"The fact is that over the years Labour have stored away over £1.5 million in cash into their special Parking Reserve fund, and now that figures set to rise even further", said Cllr Ramsbottom.