WARRINGTON’S controversial parking warden service made a profit of £73,242 last year – with the money being spent on car park management.
The wardens – or Civil Enforcement Officers – issued 17,575 penalty charge notices of
which 13,050 were fully paid.
This produced income of £467,300 – on top of the £581,699 income the council received from operating its 16 car parks.
A total of 36 motorists appealed to an independent adjudicator against “bookings” and 10 appeals went in favour of the borough council and seven in favour of the appellant.
But not all motorists who receive tickets go to the adjudicator if they want to appeal – the majority are dealt with by the council’s own parking services unit.
During the year, a total of 2,527 appeals and challenges were received by the unit.
Of the 17,575 penalty charge notices issued, 3,139 were cancelled and 120 written off.
The council is now developing a parking strategy, which will include a comprehensive review of existing and future car parking provision to ensure the requirements of residents, shoppers, visitors, commuters and businesses are considered within the context of a sustainable transport strategy and to ensure the town’s continued increasing competitiveness.
Consultation with councillors and stakeholders will be a key part of this process.
The council will be introducing pay and display parking on various surface car parks to encourage shorter parking periods in some locations and long-stay parking in others.
