Council making £700,000 a year in town parking fines

Bromley Council made nearly three quarters of a million pounds from parking fines in Beckenham last year, new figures have revealed.

A News in Beckenham Freedom of Information (FoI) request found that, during the 2016/17 financial year, Bromley Council made £703,920 from parking fines in the town.

This figure is slightly down on the previous year’s £721,046. During the first half of the 2017/18 financial year (up to the end of October 2017), parking fines came to just under £250,000.

Unsurprisingly the road with the largest number of penalty charge notices (PCN) issued was Beckenham High Street, where more than 2,200 tickets were handed to motorists in 2017.

Village Way, which has long been a battleground between local residents and the council over road safety, came in second with 790 fines last year.

Rounding up the top three was Fairfield Road with 604. Other streets which saw more than 500 fines issued during this period were Durban Road, Croydon Road, Cedars Road and Copers Cope Road.

Parking fines can range from anywhere between £60 to £130 depending on the seriousness of the contravention.

Lower penalties are imposed for contraventions such as overstaying time paid for in a pay and display bay, or parking outside bay markings. Higher penalties are imposed for parking where it is generally not permitted, for example on a yellow line or a school ‘Keep Clear’ marking.

What are your views on the parking situation in Beckenham? Are there spots where parking could be improved or indeed removed? Email your views to editorial@newsinbeckenham.co.uk