Cash-strapped Walsall Council owed £350k in parking fines

It has sparked claims that Walsall Council bosses should chase up the cash as it faces £25m of cuts.

A Freedom of Information request has revealed that £390,332 is currently outstanding in parking fines and penalties owed to the council.

Charges range from £25 to £70 relating to the offence and whether payment is made within 14 days.

Tickets are issued for a range of offences from staying too long in car parks or on-street bays to being on double yellow lines.

Councillor Sean Coughlan, Labour leader for the borough, said: "It does concern me that the collection rates for parking fines are so poor.

"Collection seems to be a real problem for this council, not just in terms of parking fines.

"I have some major concerns over this councils ability to set a policy, whether that is one which people agree with or not and stick by it.

"I know parking fines aren't a popular idea but the fact is this council has chose to enforce them, yet it doesn't seem able to do that.

"Services are being cut and this is a significant amount of money to have owed to the council."

The council has had to defend itself in the past from allegations that it uses parking fines as a 'cash cow', however fines have decreased over the last few years, as well as the number of people paying them.

In 2013, 15,722 were dished out, only 67 per cent of which were paid.

The following year, 12,920 were given to motorists, 65 per cent of which were paid and between April and September 2015, 6,787 were given out, with just 53 per cent paid.

Councillor Adrian Andrew, Walsall Council's deputy leader, said the unpaid fines are being chased.

He said: "We take these unpaid fines very seriously.

"If people break the rules we need to make sure they pay the fines.

"However, these things have to go through certain processes and people can also appeal them.

"I am sure the unpaid fines are being worked on."

Newly-introduced bus lane cameras have hit motorists in the borough hard since they were brought in to catch out motorists illegally using the lanes.

One camera installed on Bloxwich High Street raked in more than £105,000 in one week after being installed in September, hitting the pocket of around 3,500 drivers.