10 ways councils are making budgets go further
Discover 10 ways councils are stretching budgets further, from digital transformation and energy efficiency to community partnerships and data-driven decision-making.
1.6 million drivers fined for yellow line parking
20/10/2025 More than 1.6 million drivers were slapped with Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) in 2024 for parking on single or double yellow lines, according to The AA. |
Parking apps prove unpopular among drivers
10/10/2025 Over 70% of motorists have struggled while using mobile apps for parking payments over the last year, data reveals. |
Councillors endorse anti-pavement parking powers
26/09/2025 Nearly three quarters of councillors would back the introduction of enforcement powers against pavement parking, data has revealed. |
Protecting Independence: Tackling the Hidden Crisis of Blue Badge Fraud
22/09/2025 Blue Badge theft is on the rise. The Blue Badge Fraud Investigations (BBFI) team is working with local authorities to crack down on misuse. |
English councils report record £1.2bn parking surplus
18/09/2025 New figures from the MHCLG reveal that English councils made a record £1.189bn in profit from on-street and off-street parking in 2024/25. |
Motorists issued millions of parking tickets
17/09/2025 Over four million parking tickets were distributed between April and June this year, research reveals. |
Liverpool to modernise parking payment machines
10/09/2025 Liverpool City Council is set to upgrade the city’s parking meters, aiming to improve convenience, reduce costs, and support the uptake of electric vehicles. |
Hounslow ends Lime e-bike partnership after complaints
05/08/2025 Hounslow Council’s partnership with bike rental company Lime has been terminated following issues with unsafe parking. |
Government backs ‘one app fits all’ parking platform
21/05/2025 The Government has committed to delivering simpler parking nationwide through the roll out of a ‘one app fits all’ parking platform. |
Councils raise £360m from parking permits
07/05/2025 Local authorities across the UK raised £360m from residential parking permits over the last five years, new research reveals. |
RAC fears private parking firms are escaping scrutiny
25/04/2025 Private firms that run local car parks are set to issue a record 14.5 million tickets to drivers this year. |
Hackney’s blue badge assessments ‘flawed’
11/04/2025 Drivers in Hackney have been urged to reapply for a blue badge after an investigation revealed flaws in the council’s scheme. |
Parking charges driving people away from high street
25/02/2025 Almost two thirds of drivers are put off visiting their local high street due to parking charges, a new survey has revealed. |
Car driven into council officer outside school
20/02/2025 Police have joined local authority staff on school parking patrols in a Kent borough after a car was ‘driven deliberately’ into a council officer. |
Gritters blocked by double-parked cars in Peak District
13/01/2025 Derbyshire County Council’s gritting team was unable to access a road near a popular hiking spot at the weekend because of visitors’ parking. |
Thousands sign petition against Haringey parking fare rise
13/11/2024 A petition urging Haringey Council not to scrap daily parking permits for visitors has received 3,700 signatures. |
Councils raise £1bn in parking fees
25/10/2024 Local authorities across England collectively raised just over £1bn in parking fees and charges for the 2023/24 financial year, a new study has found. |
Council set to pay out £357,000 over incorrect fines
09/10/2024 Reading Borough Council expects to reimburse drivers £357,000 after discovering it had incorrectly issued more than 6,000 parking fines. |
Traffic wardens ticket prop cars on Daniel Day-Lewis film set
07/10/2024 Traffic wardens have issued parking tickets to prop vehicles being used to film Daniel Day-Lewis’ come back film. |
Brighton cuts parking fees to attract drivers
30/09/2024 Brighton and Hove City Council is set to slash parking fees in bid to attract more drivers and boost income. |
Manchester parking fees highest in UK
26/09/2024 Drivers entering Manchester could face an annual fee of up to £538 for parking permits in 2024, the highest in the UK, according to new research. |
Council faces backlash over near-600% parking hike
20/08/2024 ‘Ridiculous’ parking charge increases in a coastal Kent town have prompted complaints from residents and a petition with more than a thousand signatures. |
Ealing set for ‘parking chaos’ during strikes
15/08/2024 Three weeks of ‘parking chaos’ await Ealing during planned strikes by 40 traffic wardens, Unite has warned. |
Council set to trial motorhome parking ban
09/08/2024 North Yorkshire Council is set to trial a ban on overnight motorhome parking at coastal hotspots because of ‘safety fears’ and escalating complaints from residents. |
Plans to boost Teesside Freeport vehicle and access approved
22/07/2024 Plans for new transport facilities to support the growing number of vehicles entering the Teesworks site on Teesside have been given the green light. |
Councillors back £88,000 parking revamp
12/07/2024 Unreliable parking ticket machines in Rugby will be replaced as part of the council’s mission to regenerate the town centre. |
Requests for driver details rise
18/06/2024 Councils and parking companies are increasingly requesting details about a car’s registered keeper, which allows them to fine drivers, according to a car sales firm. |
London sees 400% increase in blue badge thefts
04/06/2024 A fourfold increase in the number of blue badge thefts in London is partly the result of local authority cuts, warns London Assembly Member. |
Council parking income set to top £2bn
10/04/2024 English Councils received nearly £2bn in income from on and off-street parking in 2022-23, but paid out nearly £1bn in running and enforcement costs. |
Changing lanes: why moving to an Open Market model for parking is the right choice for councils
08/02/2024 Peter O’Driscoll, Managing Director at RingGo, makes the case for an Open Market model for parking. |
Westminster revamps emissions-based parking charges
30/01/2024 Westminster City Council will revamp its parking schemes so that residents and visitors are charged based on their vehicles’ tailpipe emissions. |
Edinburgh first to enforce pavement parking ban
29/01/2024 Edinburgh City Council has become the first local authority in Scotland to enforce a ban on pavement parking. |
Council referrals to bailiffs up 20%
24/01/2024 Referrals to bailiffs in England and Wales to recover council debts have risen by nearly 20%, a BBC investigation has found. |
Council’s parking fine income up 50%
08/01/2024 Buckinghamshire Council brought in £1.4m from parking fines in 2023, a 50% increase compared to 2022. |
Parking meters face disruption from 2G switch off
18/12/2023 Parking meters, alarm systems and telecare devices risk facing disruption when 2G and 3G mobile networks are switched off, council chiefs warn. |
Transport planners take on 'hotly contested' parking debate
15/12/2023 A report from the Transport Planning Society argues that current parking practice promotes car use and outlines policy recommendations to lower carbon travel. |
Councillors reject £1.5m debt write-off
04/12/2023 Councillors in Bolton have voted against plans to write off £1.5m worth of debt owed by the local authority's parking operator. |
Councils' parking revenue approaches £1bn
13/10/2023 The income councils raked in from parking surged to almost £1bn in the last financial year. |
Charity calls for pavement parking crack down
25/09/2023 A charity for the visually impaired has urged the Government to do more to crack down on pavement parking. |
Bristol rules out workplace parking levy
10/08/2023 Bristol City Council has ruled out introducing a workplace parking levy because of the cost-of-living crisis. |
Developers to convert Cheltenham car park into housing site
02/08/2023 Cheltenham Borough Council will consider plans to transform a car park into a 150-home development. |
London Councils signals hike in parking and traffic penalties
01/08/2023 Cross-party group London Councils is consulting on penalty charges for parking and traffic offences, and says current charges are not high enough. |
Greenwich brings in parking charges based on emissions
31/07/2023 Parking charges and resident and business permits in Greenwich are now based on vehicles’ carbon dioxide emissions. |
Town centre parking charges to be reviewed
31/07/2023 Changes to parking charges and debt recovery fees could soon be introduced as the Government looks at ways to better regulate the private parking industry. |
Cash-strapped Thurrock to hike charges
08/06/2023 Beleaguered Thurrock Council is set to increase charges for its services to help deal with its cash crisis. |
Car parks at risk from EV increase
05/06/2023 An increase in the use of heavy electric vehicles poses a risk to car parks, structural engineers have warned. |
Council apologises for fining entire car park
17/05/2023 A local authority has apologised after all the vehicles in a car park were mistakenly issued with fines. |
Counter-terrorism measures restrict blue badge parking, campaigners say
11/04/2023 A policy of restricting access to York city centre for motorists with blue badges has been slammed as ‘disproportionate’ and a human rights breach. |
Don’t force drivers to pay for parking with smartphones, Gove says
06/04/2023 Levelling-up secretary Michael Gove has told councils they must not force drivers to use smartphones to pay for parking spaces. |
Pavement parking ban parked after 'frustratingly slow' jibe
04/04/2023 The Welsh Government has shelved a consultation on banning pavement parking after councils apparently claimed they were too busy to engage with it. |
Motorists face digital exclusion from car parks, MPs warn
30/03/2023 MPs have asked the Government to help motorists who have problems parking because of increasing use of mobile technology apps. |
Council raises safety fears after Clarkson Farm row
15/03/2023 Oxfordshire council has imposed ‘safety precautions’ after death threats were made to councillors who oppose extension of a car park at Jeremy Clarkson’s farm. |
Councillors’ parking tickets binned by officers in Liverpool
08/02/2023 Council officers in Liverpool binned dozens of parking tickets given to councillors without going through any formal process, according to a local newspaper. |
Better use of car parks to bolster bottom lines
07/02/2023 Chris Wortley, managing director of intelligent parking company Metric Group, examines how councils can make better commercial use of their car parks. |
Council drops plans for a new workplace parking levy
08/11/2022 Leicester City Council has dropped plans to introduce a workplace parking levy (WPL) in 2023 due to the cost of living crisis. |
Council to take legal action over 200,000 parking payments
14/10/2022 Worcester City Council is planning to take legal action against the car park operator Flowbird over delayed customer repayments. |
Councils team up to save £100,000 on parking enforcement
31/08/2022 Cherwell District Council is set to strike a new deal with Oxfordshire County Council that will see car park enforcement streamlined. |
Councils accused of allowing cars to hold public space ‘hostage’
24/08/2022 Activists have accused councils of allowing cars to hold public space ‘hostage’ by charging more for the suspension of parking spaces than for parking permits. |
Workplace Parking Levy: Surviving the cost of living crisis
19/08/2022 Christopher Hammond, UK100 membership director, argues now is the time for councils to follow Nottingham City Council in introducing a Workplace Parking Levy. |
Council launches review into HMOs in Northampton
22/06/2022 West Northamptonshire Council yesterday launched a review into houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) in Northampton after complaints by local campaigners. |
Council defends controversial ditch
18/05/2022 A local council has defended its decision to dig a ditch alongside a car park after residents said it blocked their access to the beach. |
Council chiefs call for action against ‘scourge’ of pavement parking
18/05/2022 Local authority leaders have called on the Government to give councils the freedom to ban pavement parking in their own areas. |
Cap parking provision at one space per property, charity says
14/03/2022 A charity has called for car parking provision at new housing developments to be capped at a maximum of one space per property. |
New greenfield developments encouraging congestion, report argues
08/02/2022 New housing developments on greenfield land are locking local communities into car dependency, a report has argued. |
Cowboy parking firms targeted by new Code of Practice
07/02/2022 Drivers are set to benefit from the launch today of a new Code of Practice aimed at cracking down on cowboy private car parking firms. |
Leicester aims for workplace parking levy by 2023
07/01/2022 Leicester City Council has announced plans to introduce a workplace parking levy based on the Nottingham model. |
City council considers bringing in parking levy
21/12/2021 Leicester City Council has launched a consultation over a scheme that could see companies charged for car parking spaces. |
Worcester named best city for accessible parking
25/11/2021 Worcester is the UK city with the most accessible parking, according to the results of a new survey. |
Councils call for increase in parking penalty charges
31/08/2021 Local authorities across the UK have called for an increase in parking penalty charges to make them a more effective deterrent. |
County to get new powers to tackle illegal parking
14/07/2021 The Government has approved Oxfordshire County Council's plan to take responsibility for all civil parking enforcement across the county. |
IoT technology: Benefitting local authorities and councils
02/07/2021 Nick Sacke outlines some of the primary challenges being faced by local authorities and how technology can help. |
Government rejects council's bid to extend lorry parking ban
30/06/2021 The Government has rejected a bid by Kent County Council to extend its lorry parking ban pilot by a further six months. |
Why innovation and collaboration are key to the next generation of parking
19/03/2021 Hannah Fuller calls on councils to take a multi-vendor approach to touchless parking. |
Councils report nearly 5% dip in parking profits
25/01/2021 Local authorities in England have reported a slight dip in parking profits, which they warn could impact their ability to fix potholes and tackle congestion. |
Insurer compares the market for parking fines
19/01/2021 Councils are issuing fines worth an average of £850,000 a year for parking offences, with one raking in more than £10m, according to new research. |
Council given power to tackle antisocial lorry parking
11/12/2020 Kent County Council has been given new powers to clamp and fine lorries that are illegally or inappropriately parked. |
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Councils urged to provide free parking over the Christmas period
30/11/2020 Town hall chiefs have rejected calls that all local councils should provide free town centre parking over the festive period. |
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London council to end outsourcing of parking enforcement
11/11/2020 Hackney Council is set to bring parking enforcement officers back in-house when its current contract ends in March 2022. |
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Maximising income from car parks
23/10/2020 Ron Buck explores the different ways councils are making the most of their parking facilities as a means of driving revenue. |
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Welsh councils to get pavement parking enforcement powers
15/10/2020 Councils in Wales could have greater powers to prevent pavement parking by 2022 after ministers backed recommendations from an independent taskforce. |
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Ministers seek middle path on pavement parking
01/09/2020 The Department for Transport (DfT) has published a consultation setting out three options to tackle the issue of pavement parking. |
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Jenrick announces ‘crackdown’ on parking fines
01/09/2020 The Government has proposed a new code of practice aimed at eliminating unfair fines issued by private car parking firms. |
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Council to review its Blue Badge process after investigation
13/08/2020 A London council has agreed to review the way it assesses applications for disabled parking permits following an investigation by the ombudsman. |
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Selling off government car parks could deliver 110,000 new homes, study finds
15/07/2020 Public sector owned car parks have the potential to deliver more than 110,000 new homes while maintaining parking services, a new study has revealed. |
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Glasgow to cut a third of parking and 'won't miss it'
05/06/2020 Glasgow city centre is set to suspend around a third of its on-street parking spaces to increase space for social distancing. |
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Hancock announces free parking for NHS staff
26/03/2020 The Government has announced NHS trusts are to receive financial support to provide health care workers with free car parking during the coronavirus pandemic. |
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Councils in London urged to increase cost of residential parking permits
18/03/2020 Councils in London are under-charging for residential on-street parking spaces, a think tank has found today. |
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Councils back ban on pavement parking
12/03/2020 The Department for Transport (DfT) has pledged to set out new plans to tackle pavement parking, which it said would make streets safer for parents and disabled people. |
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Council clamps down on idling drivers by removing coach parking spots
23/01/2020 Westminster City Council is removing prime parking spots for coaches after drivers ignored previous warnings to turn off their engines while parked. |
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Over 12,000 Blue Badges granted to people with ‘hidden disabilities’
02/01/2020 Thousands of people with hidden disabilities have benefitted from the Government’s extended Blue Badge scheme, new figures reveal. |
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Prosecutions for Blue Badge fraud up by 18% in past year
05/12/2019 A third of councils in England do not have a policy in place to prosecute people for Blue Badge fraud, new figures have revealed today. |
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Councils make £930m profit from parking
18/11/2019 Councils in England made a profit of £930m last year from their parking operations, new figures have revealed. |
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Council broke its own blue badge assessment policy, Ombudsman finds
24/10/2019 Sheffield CC has agreed to review its process for dealing with blue badge applications after an investigation revealed it was breaking its own policy. |
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Green number plates considered for electric cars
22/10/2019 The Government is considering introducing green licence plates to help councils identify and incentivise the drivers of the cleanest cars. |
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Blue Badge: Achieving a citizen-first approach
18/10/2019 Paul Tomlinson explains how councils can balance the lack of standardisation with the Blue Badge service with their need for flexibility in designing and processing applications. |
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Council apologises after motorist denied right to challenge parking ticket
26/09/2019 Cherwell DC has apologised ‘unreservedly’ after an investigation revealed that motorists were being denied the right to challenge parking tickets. |
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MPs call for a ban on pavement parking
09/09/2019 The Government should introduce an outright ban on pavement parking across England, MPs have said today in a new report. |
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Blue Badges offered to people with non-visible disabilities
30/08/2019 The Government has today implemented the expanded Blue Badge scheme which will now include people who have non-visible disabilities. |
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London boroughs eye £750 workplace parking charge
25/07/2019 Several London boroughs are considering introducing workplace parking levies (WPLs) of at least £750 a year to cut pollution and encourage active travel. |
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Council to refund hundreds of incorrect parking fines
04/07/2019 Hundreds of parking fines are to be repaid after a council discovered it had imposed them on motorists using free car parks. |
