Parking fines generate millions for Glasgow City Council
The money going into the council's coffers has steadily increased year on year, with the £1.9 million brought in during 2020/21 soaring to a staggering £8.9 million in 2024/25.
A sum of just over £3.1m was collected in 2021/22, with just under £4.9m stumped up by drivers the following financial year. This figure rose again in 2023/24 to £6.3m.
The figures for 2020/21 include periods of lockdown imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic while the numbers for 2024/25 reflect the increase to the penalty notice charge from £60 to £100, introduced on September 4 2024.
The money was generated by council wardens issuing almost 700,000 penalty charge notices across the city since 2020.
Again, the data uncovered through the FOI request, shows that more tickets have been dished out by the council in each consecutive 12 month period.
The 46,703 issued in 2020/21 rose to 109,297 the following year, before increasing again to 145,081 in 2022/23. Wardens then slapped drivers with 183,957 tickets in 2023/24 before issuing 204,001 fines in 2024/25.
In Glasgow, parking penalties, officially known as Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), are generally £100, but this is reduced to £50 if paid within the first 14 days. These fines apply to violations of any parking regulations, including bus lane restrictions. If a fine remains unpaid for 28 days or after an appeal is rejected, a charge certificate may be issued, increasing the penalty by 50 per cent of the original charge.
Anniesland and Drumchapel councillor Paul Carey BEM says the cash brought in through the enforcement process should improve the city's roads.
Paul Carey (Image: Supplied) He added: 'This is a massive amount of money and legally has to be reinvested directly into transport infrastructure.
'A sum of £25m could certainly go a long way to making Glasgow a better place to drive."
Parking fines have cost Glasgow drivers £25m (Image: NQ) Motorists in Glasgow also now face a £100 fine for parking on pavements after the introduction of controversial new rules earlier this year designed to protect pedestrians, people in wheelchairs and those pushing buggies from being forced onto roads by vehicles left on kerbs.
Drivers hit with fines are also currently unable to appeal them through the council's website after a provider's servers were impacted by an attempted cyber attack.
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A statement on Glasgow City Council's website says: 'Experts have investigated a cyber security incident which has affected [[Glasgow City Council]] services.
'Although the incident has disrupted council services, the loss of some web-based services was caused by the isolation of the affected servers, rather than the cyber incident itself. As a result there is currently a fault with our online appeals form. We are working to resolve this as quickly as possible.
'Wherever possible, the council put in place alternative ways to access services on a temporary basis and, in parallel, began safely restoring the affected services.
'Many of the highest priority services are now back online, with temporary workarounds in place for others. A recovery plan is in place to restore each of the affected services, with all but a handful of applications, which are dependent on external support, expected back online by mid-August.
'The council is sorry for the continued inconvenience this will cause customers. Parking appeals can be made by email.'
A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said parking enforcement is vital to make sure the system is not abused.
They added: 'On-street parking schemes are only introduced where it is clear there is a need to manage parking in those places.
'On-street parking schemes help to address the difficulties parking can cause in communities and improve road safety, particularly for pedestrians.
'Parking zones ensure there is a turnover in pay-as-you-go spaces and also provide easier access to streets for vehicles from the emergency and cleansing services.
'Residents are prioritised with our parking schemes and this helps to ensure residents can park close to home.
'Enforcement is essential to the effective operation of a parking zone, which helps to protect the use of the parking zone for permit holders and free-up spaces for pay-as-you-go parking.
'In line with the relevant road traffic legislation, all revenue raised by on-street parking charges must support the operation of the parking system and the wider roads and transportation system.'
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