Many local authorities see drivers as a “wallet on wheels”, and has accused some councils of using parking fees to plug budget gaps according The AA.
The new figures from Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government data may seems to verify that statement.
| Berkshire authority |
Total expenditure |
Total income |
Net income |
| Reading |
£3,623,000 |
£8,230,000 |
£4,607,000 |
Reading council raked in more than £4 million in parking profits last year.
Off-street parking, such as council-run car parks, made the most profit last year, at £2.7 million.
The rest came from on-street parking.
Total income from both on- and off-street parking activity was £8.2 million in 2018-19.
Total expenditure was £3.6m. Additionally, councils may incur interest payments or depreciation on their capital assets such as car parks, though this is not accounted for in these official figures.
The difference between the two – £4.6m – is the surplus or profit.
This is 6% more than the £4.0m made in the previous financial year (2017-18). It is also 11% higher than the £782m surplus that the councils themselves had budgeted for.
Parking charges in Reading went up this year, as the council took back control of eight car parks from operator NCP.
Reading Borough Council is also ending free parking in various streets around the town, which has been met with chagrin by drivers.
And it issued a total of 48,240 penalty charges in 2018/19.
