Latest news with #CathyHenderson
Sky News AU
16 hours ago
- Automotive
- Sky News AU
Victoria's Merri-bek City Council owing $12 million to drivers as parking fine blunder left unchecked for over a decade
A Victorian council has admitted to overcharging local drivers for nearly 12 years as a parking fine authorising blunder went unnoticed, resulting in millions of dollars being owed. The Herald Sun revealed on Tuesday that Merri-bek City Council, which covers a northern area of suburban Melbourne, has overcharged thousands of motorists who have been fined for breaching parking time limits since July 2013. The council has confirmed to that about 250,000 parking-related fines have been charged incorrectly, resulting in a total overcharged amount of about $12 million. The amounts overcharged ranged from $43 to $59 per fine, depending on what year they were given out, a council statement on Tuesday said. The fines affected ranged across 11 different infringement types, with the most common being fines handed out for overstaying parking time limits. Other infringement notices overcharged included those given for parking in 'No Parking' sign areas and parking vehicles at an incorrect angle. 'Merri-bek City Council has been charging 0.5 penalty units for those 11 categories of parking infringements, as many councils do. Unfortunately, it has recently been discovered that there was no resolution in place setting this value,' the statement said. 'This was due to an administrative error in 2013, which has not been identified until recently.' Fines were mistakenly upped between July 1, 2013 and June 11 this year. According to the council, revenue from parking infringements has gone towards infrastructure upgrades, providing community services, and maintaining council assets. 'The money collected through these 11 infringement types was put towards this purpose' the council stated. Merri-bek City Council chief executive officer Cathy Henderson has said the council apologises for the mistake, which she called a 'regrettable historical administrative error'. 'Parking is a limited resource and to ensure fair access for everyone, parking restrictions and controls are necessary. All revenue raised from parking fines is reinvested back into our community to provide services and facilities to the Merri-bek community,' Ms Henderson said in the statement. The council's 'Parking Fines Refund Scheme', which will come into effect next month and be available for a year, will allow affected motorists to apply for a refund of the overcharged amount of their fines. The Herald Sun reported that Merri-bek City councillor Oscar Yildiz stated the discovered error 'will impact our budget' as the refund process commences. 'This is about fairness, accountability and rebuilding trust with our community,' Mr Yildiz said, according to the masthead.
Daily Mail
21 hours ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Hundreds of thousands of Australians wrongly given parking fines: How to get your money back
A Melbourne council has overcharged nearly 250,000 rate payers for breaching parking time limits. The major parking fine bungle saw Merri-bek Council overcharge more than $12million to an estimated 248,000 motorists between 2013 and when the oversight was uncovered this month. Merri-bek Council, formerly Moreland Council, covers regions including Brunswick, Coburg, Pascoe Vale and parts of Fitzroy North. The motorists were overcharged, on average, $50 more per fine and now the council needs to find $12million to repay the fined drivers. Merri-bek Council's longest serving councillor Oscar Yildiz blamed an administrative error made in 2013 for the blunder. 'As a councillor, I want to acknowledge that council made a serious mistake,' he said. 'As soon as this came to light, we acted quickly, took responsibility, and established a 12-month refund scheme for those affected. Yes, it will impact our budget, but doing the right thing matters more.' Starting in early July, an opt-in refund scheme will be available for a year, giving people the chance to recover the overcharged portion. CEO of Merri-bek City Council Cathy Henderson apologised to those affected. 'Today's announcement reflects Merri-bek City Council's commitment to integrity, transparency and fairness. Now that we have found the mistake, we are fixing it,' she said. 'This is a regrettable historical administrative error, and we apologise for the impact of the overcharge. 'Parking is a limited resource and to ensure fair access for everyone, parking restrictions and controls are necessary. All revenue raised from parking fines is reinvested back into our community to provide services and facilities to the Merri-bek community. ' The 11 fines eligible for refunds 1. Parked for period longer than indicated 2. Parked fail to pay & obey instructions on sign 3. Stopped contrary to a No Parking sign 4. Stopped on a bicycle parking area 5. Stopped on a motor bike parking area 6. Parked contrary to requirement of parking area 7. Parked not at an angle of 45 degrees 8. Parked not at an angle of 90 degrees 9. Parked not completely within a parking bay 10. Parked long vehicle exceed minimum number of bays 11. Parked wide vehicle exceed minimum number of bays
