A quarter of parking fines in Solihull are torn up

A QUARTER of the parking tickets issued in Solihull in the last financial year were cancelled, it has been revealed.
Council figures show that while almost 18,000 fines were fixed to windscreens in 2013-14 – the first time in three years that the number has risen – just over 25 per cent of people didn’t have to pay up following successful appeals.
Some tickets were torn up because the driver was able to prove they had paid to park or there were other mitigating factors – for instance, the motorist had a valid blue badge.
Reacting to the number of cancelled tickets, a council report said: “The authority has a duty to be seen to be acting reasonably and the percentage of cancelled PCN’s demonstrates that.”
Of the remaining tickets, 59 per cent of people chose to pay a reduced fine, with six per cent coughing up the full amount. The remainder of fines handed out over the 12 month period were still being processed at the time the report was drawn up.
The company contracted by the council to issue tickets, NSL, is currently operating at a loss in Solihull. This is despite the fact that their team of 18 traffic wardens is, on average, issuing a penalty somewhere in the borough on an almost hourly basis.
One change that could be made is the introduction of bodycams. These mini CCTV cameras are worn by wardens and used to record incidents. Councils in Croydon, Bath and Peterborough are among those to have already rolled out the technology, in an effort to keep enforcement officers safe from reprisals.
Solihull Council said the advantage of the cameras was that footage could be reviewed at a later date and that the equipment was likely to see a drop in complaints against wardens.
The update on Solihull's parking fines was due to be considered by the cabinet member for transport and highways, Councillor Ted Richards, tomorrow (Thursday).