WARRINGTON’S parking service – now in its fifth year since the borough council took over responsibility for its operation – is still running at a loss.
Overall, the service chalked up a loss of £107,829 for the year 2011-12, according to its annual report.
Total income – from parking charges and penalty charges – was £832,584 while cost of running the service was £940,413.
But a report by Cllr Linda Dirir (pictured), the council’s executive member for transportation, indicates that the deficit has reduced when compared with the previous year and is likely to reduce still further next year, partly due to a number of changes to parking operations.
It is expected that by the end of 2012-13, the service will have reached a financial “break even” position.
The total number of penalty charge notices (PCNs) issued last year was 14,307 compared with 12,613 the previous year.
This was mainly due to an increase in the number of on-street PCNs issued – 9,494 compared to 8,365 the previous year.
However, there were indications that motorists had modified their behaviour as they realised they were now more likely to be caught if they parked illegally.
Cllr Dirir says the fact that the services continues to operate at a deficit represents a significant pressure on the council’s budget.
Officers are working to to reduce the deficit and hope to negotiate a reduction in the contract price with the enforcement contractor.
Work is also progressing on an updated parking strategy for Warrington which will go out to consultation with the public in January.
Following this an action plan will be developed to implement its recommendations.
The report adds that if the council did not have a robust parking enforcement operation, there would be considerable problems caused for the public in terms of an increase in inconsiderate, illegal and dangerous parking which would lead to a worsening in road safety and levels of traffic congestion.
£107,000 loss for parking service
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Gary Skentelbery
Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Trustee Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.
4 Comments
start by getting rid of the traffic vultures…. Christmas Eve would be a good day to do it….. that would save a fair few quid!
Baz, While I commend your free spirit thinking, the thought that 14,000 cars are illegally parked in a year is staggering, the place would be a free for all without some kind of control.
I Work in Manchester it costs me £2 a day five days a week to park on a huge pot hole ridden car park in not a great part of the city… but its cheaper than anywhere Ive ever seen in a major city or Town…Yet still despite the “traffic vultures” it is still a regular occurance to see cars parked on Double yellows on the road right next to the car park………???
how can you blame that on anyone but stupid stupid tight fisted (and Dangerous) car owners…..
I have never ever recieved a parking fine and dont intend to, if I am to contribute to that almost one million pounds of revenue generated by the parking services it will be one or two pounds for parking correctly and legally……
Why on earth should car parking provision and parking enforcement be expected to generate profits????? Ensuring that motorists can get around the town easily and park conveniently at their destinations is a fundamental duty of any council which wants to promote the economic health of its borough.
Si…. In my driving career, I have only ever received on ticket and that was the day befoe they shut the road at the side of the market to build Times Square….. I just object to the council wasting over 100,000 quid on a service (that Pete rightly points out) that shouldn’t be expected to make a profit……….. It is little wonder the town centre is dead and that there is little hope of reviving it while we have a town hall full of incompetants who see everything and every opportunity to screw extra money out of the taxpayer and then let every good idea get swallowed up in bickering and inter-party squabble…….. £100,000 here and we also learn that they have missed an opportunity to make up to £300,000 on the sale of land on Farrell street. £400,000!!!! How many essential services would that have saved?