Skip to main content

FSB responds to RAC Foundation figures on 8 million local authority parking penalties issued in UK

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has responded to a report from the RAC Foundation which showed that 8 million local authority parking penalties are issued annually across England and Wales. This figure is included in the Automated Road Traffic Enforcement: Regulation, Governance and Use - for the RAC Foundation report by Dr Adam Snow, a lecturer in criminology at Liverpool Hope University.
October 26, 2017 Read time: 2 mins

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has responded to a report from the 4961 RAC Foundation which showed that 8 million local authority parking penalties are issued annually across England and Wales. This figure is included in the Automated Road Traffic Enforcement: Regulation, Governance and Use - for the RAC Foundation report by Dr Adam Snow, a lecturer in criminology at Liverpool Hope University.

Mike Cherry, FSB, national chairman, said: “Councils are cutting their noses off to spite their faces when they try to fill revenue gaps with parking charges. They would do far more to boost local growth, and their own coffers, by taking a more generous approach to parking around local high streets.

“We know that introducing permanent short-stay free parking can provide a huge shot in the arm for town centres. Doing so attracts shoppers and new businesses alike.

“With business rates hikes, flagging consumer demand and rising input costs, our small retailers have enough to worry about without their customers being put off from visiting for fear of being hit with a parking fine.   

“Local authorities should put more time and energy into supporting the small business community and focus less on parking restrictions that damage growth in the long-term”, Cherry added.

Dr Snow’s report highlighted that up to 12 million driving license holders receive a penalty notice each year. The local authority parking penalty is part of a broadly broken down figure which also showed 2.5 million local authority bus lane and box junction penalties; 500,000 late licensing and insurance penalties and; 1 million speeding and red-light penalties.

A full copy of the report can be found %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external here RAC Foundation report PDF false http://www.racfoundation.org/assets/rac_foundation/content/downloadables/Automated_Road_Traffic_Enforcement_Dr_Adam_Snow_October_2017.pdf false false%>

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Ficosa pledges €500m investment in C/AV technology
    March 19, 2019
    Spanish firm Ficosa is to put €500m into R&D over the next four years to provide new technology for connected and autonomous vehicles (C/AVs). The firm believes that revenue from its technology systems will rise from €100 million to €800 million over the next five years. Assisted driving and e-mobility are other areas of interest, and the company has already put its money where its mouth is, showing off a new e-mobility development centre last year. The company had overall revenues of €1.28 billion
  • British drivers face ban on hands-free mobiles
    August 14, 2019
    UK drivers could be banned from using phones in hands-free mode, following a suggestion from MPs. The House of Commons Transport Select Committee has said that current UK law creates the “misleading impression” that the use of hands-free phones is a safe driving practice. However, there is increasing evidence to show that hands-free usage “creates the same risks of collision as using a hand-held device,” say the law-makers. In its latest report, Road Safety: driving while using a mobile phone, the
  • ITS America ‘disappointed’ at Toyota V2X decision
    May 9, 2019
    Trade association ITS America has expressed disappointment that Toyota is pausing its Vehicle to Everything (V2X) deployment in the US. The Japanese car maker sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) saying that a lack of activity from other manufacturers on V2X – plus uncertainty over the regulatory position – had led to the decision. In a statement, ITS America said it was ‘disappointed’, adding: “We appreciate Toyota’s leadership and commitment to life-saving V2X technology.” Th
  • DTV implements long-term cycle monitoring
    February 28, 2014
    B-Riders (www.b-riders.nl) is the first project ever to closely follow a large group of bike users (2,500 participants) over a long period of time – one year. A highly innovative bike tracking system was developed, and implemented, featuring an app that automatically registers all trips 24/7. The system then autonomously analyses trips and assigns them into categories - foot, car, public transport or bike.