Parking appeal success shows 'eager' council ticketing, say critics (From Streatham Guardian)

Lambeth parking appeal success shows 'eager' council ticketing, say critics

9:50am Thursday 27th August 2009 in News By Matt Watts

The success rate and number of appeals against Lambeth’s parking fines have raised questions about “the eagerness of the council to bring in revenue from motorists”.

Recently published statistics show in 2008/9, Lambeth was the authority for which the third highest number of parking appeals were heard in London with a staggering 83 per cent of the 3,084 appeals successful.

Some 86 per cent of 556 appeals against moving traffic offences - such as yellow box junctions - were also successful.

Appeals against 1,411 parking fines and 254 moving traffic offences were unchallenged by the council, the highest number of any local authority in London apart from Westminster.

Streatham Common resident Kevin Potter, who recently won an appeal after a lengthy legal battle, said he believed it showed “how many tickets Lambeth were admitting it wrongly gave once people were strong enough to take them to appeal”.

Lib Dem spokesman on parking, Councillor Julian Heather, said the figures showed the council still did not have a “firm but fair” parking service.

He said: “Too many motorists are being wrongly fined. It shows the eagerness of the council to bring in revenue from motorists.”

A council spokesman said such incidents were "rare" and motorists should have confidence in the appeals system.

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