A total of £1.8m has been paid in on-street parking fines across Lincolnshire over the course of a year.
Statistics included in a report due to go before the county council’s Highways and Transport Scrutiny Committee on Monday.
Across the financial year from April 1 2023 to March 31 2024 a total of 48,121 Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) were issued across the county.
The county council and its contractor are only responsible for on-street parking. Council car parks in South Holland are operated by the district council which has its own staff.
The figure included 3.948 reports of ‘nuisance parking’ which have come from the public via the website, an increase of more than 1,000 from the previous year.
“An online reporting function accessible through the LCC website provides a member of the public to report a concern to us directly.
“The system continues to prove extremely popular and has improved the way in which we communicate and respond to nuisance parking requests,” says the report.
Working with its contractor APCOA, there are two levels of fines implemented.
The high level fine of £70 (or £35 if paid within 14 days) is applied for incidents including parking on double yellow lines or parking in a disabled bay with no blue badge.
The lower level fine is £50 (or £25 if paid within 14 days) is applied for problems including parking longer than permitted, or displaying an invalid ticket.
Once costs have been taken out of the equation, the county council has a surplus of £164,000 from the last financial year.
The money will be used to fund the installation of permanent and mobile cameras outside schools across the county.
One of the schools earmarked to be among the first to receive equipment is South View Community Primary in Crowland.
“The enforcement of parking restrictions is a key component of effective traffic management and assists to improve traffic flow,” says the report.
“Poor dangerous and obstructive parking can pose a danger to pedestrians by blocking pavements and forcing them onto the streets; it also reduces visibility for other motorists and impedes traffic flow.”
In Spalding, the most PCNs were issued in the town’s Sheep Market where 280 were given out, creating £8,558 in fines.
Swan Street had 117 notices and Victoria Street 79.
In total, South Holland had 2,383 PCNs which created £68,213. A total of 279 appeals were lodged by drivers and 142 were rejected, leaving 137 allowed.
Across South Holland 2,383 PCNs were issued with £68,213 revenue generated. February was the busiest month with 337 notices given while May was the least busy with 144.
Among the reasons for tickets was parking in a restricted area, including outside a school, parked on yellow lines and not being parked correctly within a bay.
In Holbeach, Church Street accounted for 117 notices, creating £3,329.
The report also says the provision of free high street parking helps to ‘contribute to the economic viability of local shops and services.
“Ensuring that the limited waiting times are adhered to by enforcing the restrictions increase the turnover of vehicles, allowing higher footfall and accessibility to local facilities and amenities,” the report says.
