Parking

• Blue Badge theft up by 45% in past year

  Councils have warned that Blue Badge theft in England has increased by 45% in the past 12 months.

  

• Whitehall backs ‘one-stop shop’ for appealing private parking fines

  The Government has thrown its weight behind a new independent appeals service for drivers wishing to challenge private parking fines.

  

• Councils made £867m profit from parking charges last year

  Car parking charges have generated 32% more profit for councils in England over the last four years, new figures have revealed.

  

• Welsh councils generated £10m profit from parking charges and fines last year

  Conservatives in Wales have accused councils of imposing a 'huge tax on shoppers' after figures revealed they made more than £10m this year from parking charges and fines.

  

• London penalty charge notices up 10%

  The number of penalty charge notices (PCNs) issued by London’s highway authorities rose by 10% during the last financial year.

  

• Parking management worth £3.6bn, London boroughs say

  London’s boroughs have made the business case for their parking management, with a report that estimates it is worth £3.58bn per year to the capital’s economy.

  

• A smarter way to park with the help of asset finance

  Chris Wilkinson explores how asset finance can help councils improve the parking experiences of drivers.

  

• Blue Badge extended to cover 'hidden disabilities'

  A decision to extend the Blue Badge parking scheme to people with mental conditions has been hailed as a 'lifeline'.

  

• Congested cities, circling cars, and the price of parking

  Anthony Eskinazi explores measures local authorities can introduce to combat emissions from cars - and the role that parking plays in this.

  

• Council fights thieves by ‘armour-plating’ parking meters

  Leicester City Council has been forced to armour-plate its parking meters to discourage thieves.