Knowledge Centre
19th May 2008
DfT defends 'medieval' parking charges
The way local councils enforce parking rules has been likened to 'medieval taxation' by a Conservative peer.
Lord Lucas, who chairs the Enforcement Law Reform Group, made the comments on BBC Radio 4's iPM programme. He explained that when councils were found to have issued fines incorrectly for reasons such as a wrongly marked parking bay, they simply refunded the money in the case in question.
Other drivers fined wrongly in the same circumstances are not routinely contacted and refunded.
"It is extremely difficult to get local authorities to behave properly on this," Lord Lucas said.
"This way of raising revenue, this medieval fashion of taxation, really upsets people cumulatively and makes them less compliant citizens."
Speaking to the BBC, however, the Department for Transport said that the parking rules were fair.
Lord Lucas, who chairs the Enforcement Law Reform Group, made the comments on BBC Radio 4's iPM programme. He explained that when councils were found to have issued fines incorrectly for reasons such as a wrongly marked parking bay, they simply refunded the money in the case in question.
Other drivers fined wrongly in the same circumstances are not routinely contacted and refunded.
"It is extremely difficult to get local authorities to behave properly on this," Lord Lucas said.
"This way of raising revenue, this medieval fashion of taxation, really upsets people cumulatively and makes them less compliant citizens."
Speaking to the BBC, however, the Department for Transport said that the parking rules were fair.
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