Westminster City Council made £140-a-minute last year in parking fines

By Jacob Phillips, local democracy reporter

Westminster City Council made £140-a-minute last year in parking fines, new research suggests.

The Central London authority took in £74.4million from parking charges in 2019-20, the most of any council in England.

A record £1.76 billion was made across England from parking fines and fees alone in the last 12 months according to AA research.

Westminster council made £69.2 million profit from the parking fines, 75 per cent of the amount the local authority receives in council tax.

Last week parking wardens in Westminster threatened to go on strike over pay and conditions.

Union workers unanimously voted to reject NSL Ltd offer to pay staff an extra 21 pence per hour in a three-year deal. They have not yet confirmed how long the strike action could last.

GMB, the union supporting strikers, has said it expected traffic chaos to return and Westminster council could lose five figure cash sums for each day of strike action.

Neighbouring council Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) had the second-highest number of parking fines in the country.

RBKC took in £56.2million last year – the equivalent of £154,000 a day or £107 a minute – according to the new research.

President of the AA Edmund King said: “Council cash-guzzling from parking charges, residents permits and fines can be staggering, particularly in London,”

“Drivers see the huge irony of being told to use their cars less while many councils can’t get enough from car owners driving into town, parking up and paying millions of pounds in charges.

“It brings a new meaning to the phrase ‘car dependency’.

“Sadly, all those of millions of pounds rarely get re-invested in facilities, such as park and ride, that would allow drivers to leave their vehicles on the outskirts of towns and cities and travel in on more environmentally-friendly transport.

“That’s probably because it would cut the parking income councils love so much.”

Westminster City Council have been contacted for comment.