Friday April 12th 2019
Written by Midlothian View editor, Phil Bowen
Midlothian Council is set to make a surplus from parking tickets in the first year of operation.
Decriminalised Parking Enforcement is a year old in Midlothian, which made parking offences a civil matter rather than a criminal one. This enabled the council to introduce parking attendants to manage parking restrictions, for example, yellow lines, bus stops, disabled bays etc.
In this first year, the council has issued 6,772 tickets with a potential value of £217,588. The final value is yet to be determined as some tickets will be successfully appealed.
When the new parking scheme was being approved last year it was forecast that it would cost the council £235,000 per year, which covered attendants, collection of fines and the appeals process.
The council forecasted that they expected to make a £78,000 loss on the scheme as the number of tickets would not match the costs but saw the enforcement of parking tickets as necessary to improving congestion and helping to play a role in regenerating Midlothian’s town centres.
However, given that the total potential value of £217,588 does not include monies collected from the Dalkeith Pay and Display car park, previously forecasted at £32,000, then it would look like a small surplus is on the cards.
By law any surplus must be reinvested into road safety initiatives.
Broadly speaking the introduction of parking attendants has been warmly welcomed in Midlothian, as residents are pleased to see illegally parked cars ticketed and the roads become clearer and safer.
A council spokesperson has confirmed the figures are correct and that council officers are due to officially report to councillors on the first year of operation of Decriminalised Parking Enforcement.
Here is the detailed breakdown in tickets issued by month.
| Month | Tickets issued | Potential value | Average income from tickets |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2018 | 266 | £8,474 | £31 |
| May | 736 | £24,538 | £33 |
| June | 748 | £24,998 | £33 |
| July | 546 | £18,056 | £33 |
| August | 573 | £18,456 | £32 |
| September | 543 | £18,038 | £33 |
| October | 569 | £18,532 | £32 |
| November | 565 | £17,226 | £30 |
| December | 547 | £18,149 | £33 |
| January 2019 | 517 | £15,675 | £30 |
| February | 372 | £11,390 | £30 |
| March | 790 | £24,056 | £30 |
| Total | 6,772 | £217,588 | £30 |
