Official figures* released today (show that councils made £1.189
billion in profit from off-street and on-street parking – up from
£1.043 billion last year and £0.896 billion just before covid.
Total income, revealed by the Ministry of Housing, Communities
& Local Government, shows that drivers across the UK forked out
£2.338 billion to English councils for parking. That compares with
£2.075 billion last year and £1.758 billion in 2019-2020. London
councils...Request free trial
Official figures* released today (show that councils made £1.189
billion in profit from off-street and on-street parking – up from
£1.043 billion last year and £0.896 billion just before covid.
Total income, revealed by the Ministry of Housing, Communities
& Local Government, shows that drivers across the UK forked
out £2.338 billion to English councils for parking. That compares
with £2.075 billion last year and £1.758 billion in 2019-2020.
London councils hauled in £1.065 billion in income, making up 46%
of the total in England. They made £0.638 billion in profit,
making up 54% of the surplus across England.
AA Head of Roads Policy Jack Cousens comments: “Making £1.2
billion in profit, from an income haul of £2.3 billion, out of
people's pockets and potential consumer spending is where we are
now with so many English city and town councils and their
unrestrained costs and fines.”
“Originally, council parking charges were supposed to cover the
cost of controlled and ordered provision. The benefits were to
encourage shoppers and other visitors into town and city centres
and stimulate commercial activity. On-street charges might
encourage turnover of spaces and permits were supposed to protect
residents' parking from hogging by outsiders.
“Charges were supposed to cover the cost of providing and
enforcing this parking, with some profit from fines and reward
for successful parking and commercial policies. Anything above
that is tax. [The Transport Committee highlighted to Parliament
in 2009's ‘Taxes and charges on road users' report that “Taxes
are compulsory, unrequited payments, whereas charges are paid in
return for a service”. Para 23, House of Commons - Taxes
and charges on road users - Transport Committee].
“For too many councils, particularly in cities, the cost of
parking seems to have gone from a reasonable charge to a full-on
local tax. Why? Because there is next to nothing holding them
back. They create new ways and reasons to plunder more money from
people with cars, often on low incomes travelling in for work.
Residents feel hostage to permit costs so high that households
often rip up their front gardens and turn them into parking.”
ends / more follows
MEDIA CONTACT - AA PUBLIC AFFAIRS ON 01256
493493
NOTE TO EDITORS
* Local authority revenue
expenditure and financing England: 2024 to 2025 individual local
authority data - outturn - GOV.UK
|
Worksheet 2: Revenue Outturn (RO) 2024-25:
Highways and Transport Services (RO2) data
|
|
|
This worksheet contains two tables. Data are reported in
£ thousand.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
E-code
|
ONS Code
|
Local authority
|
|
On-street parking - Total Income (C6 = C4 +
C5)
|
On-street parking - Net Current Expenditure (C7 =
C3 - C6)
|
Off-street parking - Total Income (C6 = C4 +
C5)
|
Off-street parking - Net Current Expenditure (C7
= C3 - C6)
|
INCOME TOTAL
|
SURPLUS
|
|
|
[Y]
|
E06
|
Unitary Authorities
|
208,567
|
-94,079
|
314,308
|
-169,892
|
522,875
|
-263,971
|
|
|
[Y]
|
E07
|
Shire Districts
|
42,002
|
-2,833
|
384,910
|
-176,930
|
426,912
|
-179,763
|
|
|
[Y]
|
E08
|
Metropolitan Districts
|
112,102
|
-54,321
|
108,697
|
-37,654
|
220,799
|
-91,975
|
|
|
[Y]
|
E09
|
London Boroughs
|
1,011,250
|
-628,156
|
53,917
|
-9,963
|
1,065,168
|
-638,119
|
|
|
[Y]
|
E10
|
Shire Counties
|
80,917
|
-12,711
|
8,621
|
4,829
|
89,538
|
-7,882
|
|
|
E5100
|
E12000007
|
Greater London Authority
|
7,053
|
-4,518
|
0
|
0
|
7,053
|
-4,518
|
|
|
[Y]
|
E26
|
National Park Authorities
|
0
|
0
|
5,683
|
-3,378
|
5,683
|
-3,378
|
|
|
[Y]
|
E47
|
Combined Authorities
|
0
|
0
|
22
|
766
|
22
|
766
|
|
|
Eng
|
E92000001
|
ENGLAND
|
1,461,892
|
-796,619
|
876,158
|
-392,220
|
2,338,049
|
-1,188,840
|
|
|
Worksheet 2: Revenue Outturn (RO) 2023-24:
Highways and Transport Services (RO2) data
|
|
This worksheet contains 2 tables. Some cells refer to
notes which can be found on the notes worksheet. Data are
reported in £ thousand.
|
|
|
|
|
Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local
Government Revenue Account Outturn (RO) returns 2023-24 -
RO2 data
|
|
|
|
Last updated: 12 December 2024
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On-street parking
|
|
|
Off-street parking
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Class Breakdown [o]
|
Notes
|
|
Total Income
|
Net Current Expenditure
(Income minus expenditure)
|
|
|
Total Income
|
Net Current Expenditure
(Income minus expenditure)
|
|
TOTAL INCOME
|
TOTAL SURPLUS / LOSS (minus figure = a
surplus)
|
|
Unitary Authorities
|
|
190,837
|
-89,339
|
|
|
286,716
|
-143,153
|
|
477,553
|
-232,492
|
|
Shire Districts
|
|
42,752
|
-2,505
|
|
|
349,602
|
-157,581
|
|
392,354
|
-160,086
|
|
Metropolitan Districts
|
|
90,048
|
-43,768
|
|
|
97,779
|
-27,321
|
|
187,828
|
-71,088
|
|
London Boroughs
|
|
878,389
|
-557,592
|
|
|
56,446
|
-8,136
|
|
934,835
|
-565,728
|
|
Shire Counties
|
|
71,135
|
-13,204
|
|
|
6,257
|
1,092
|
|
77,392
|
-12,112
|
|
Greater London Authority
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
0
|
0
|
|
0
|
0
|
|
National Park Authorities
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
4,788
|
-2,580
|
|
4,788
|
-2,580
|
|
Combined Authorities
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
0
|
991
|
|
0
|
991
|
|
ENGLAND
|
|
1,273,161
|
-706,407
|
|
|
801,589
|
-336,688
|
|
2,074,749
|
-1,043,095
|
|
Revenue Outturn (RO) 2019-20 Final: Highways and
Transport Services (RO2) data
|
|
|
|
Net current expenditure (£ thousand)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On-street parking
|
Off-street parking
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
E-code
|
ONS Code
|
Local authority
|
Total Income
(C6 = C4 +
C5)
|
Net Current Expenditure
(C7 =
C3 - C6)
|
Total Income
(C6 = C4 +
C5)
|
Net Current Expenditure
(C7 =
C3 - C6)
|
TOTAL INCOME
|
TOTAL SURPLUS /
LOSS
(minus figure = a surplus)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ENGLAND
|
1,024,610
|
-565,990
|
733,004
|
-330,126
|
1,757,614
|
-896,116
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CLASS BREAKDOWN
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LONDON BOROUGHS
|
682,839
|
-432,701
|
43,854
|
-12,425
|
726,693
|
-445,126
|
|
|
|
METROPOLITAN DISTRICTS
|
85,669
|
-44,864
|
92,574
|
-33,685
|
178,243
|
-78,549
|
|
|
|
UNITARY AUTHORITIES
|
142,257
|
-73,392
|
211,085
|
-107,467
|
353,342
|
-180,859
|
|
|
|
SHIRE COUNTIES
|
69,346
|
-12,785
|
5,942
|
730
|
75,288
|
-12,055
|
|
|
|
SHIRE DISTRICTS
|
44,499
|
-2,248
|
375,804
|
-177,619
|
420,303
|
-179,867
|
|
|
|
OTHER AUTHORITIES
|
0
|
0
|
3,745
|
340
|
3,745
|
340
|
|
