22 February 2025, 10:16
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The Mayor of London’s decision to increase parking fines to an eye-watering £160 represents everything that’s wrong with City Hall’s approach to governing our capital.
Under the guise of tackling “anti-social and obstructive parking,” Sir Sadiq Khan has effectively signed off on yet another raid on London’s motorists’ wallets.
This isn’t about deterrence; it’s about revenue.
A record 4.5 million parking fines were issued in London during 2023/24. This isn’t evidence of a parking crisis – it’s evidence of a money-making scheme running at full tilt.
The explosion in “moving traffic” offences from 571,000 in 2010/11 to 3.45 million in 2023/24 speaks volumes about the real agenda here.
These aren’t improvements in enforcement; they’re improvements in revenue generation.
The timing couldn’t be more tone-deaf. With Londoners struggling under the weight of a cost-of-living crisis, City Hall’s response is to heap more financial pressure on working families and small business owners who rely on their vehicles, just because Sir Sadiq can.
I don’t buy London Councils’ claim that net revenue goes toward vital transport schemes, such as the Freedom Pass.
Yes, the Freedom Pass is vital – but forcing motorists to fund it through punitive fines is neither fair nor sustainable. Officers are being pushed to meet ticket quotas and fine numbers in order to make private motorists a cash cow.
Between this and the Mayor’s not-so-secret plans for Pay Per Mile across the city, which my colleagues and I have been stringently opposing, it’s a miracle that there are any drivers left in London at all.
What’s particularly galling is the Mayor’s rubber-stamping of this increase while simultaneously overseeing cuts to vital services. We’re told there’s no money to properly fund our police force, yet City Hall seems to have no trouble finding new ways to extract money from hardworking Londoners.
The truth is, this decision reflects a broader pattern of misplaced priorities and misguided policies. Instead of addressing the root causes of parking issues – such as insufficient parking provision, poorly planned developments, and inadequate investment in infrastructure – City Hall opts for the quick fix of punitive fines.
What London needs is a balanced approach to traffic management that recognises the legitimate needs of motorists while addressing genuine concerns about dangerous parking. This means investing in better parking facilities, implementing smart technologies to help drivers find available spaces, and ensuring that enforcement is fair and proportionate.
We should be looking at successful schemes from other global cities that have managed to reduce problem parking through improved infrastructure and technology rather than simply reaching for the stick of ever-increasing fines. The solution lies in making it easier for people to park legally, not in making it more expensive when they get it wrong.
The Mayor’s decision sends a clear message to London’s drivers: your concerns don’t matter, but your money does. It’s a message that betrays the trust of millions of Londoners who rely on their vehicles for work, family life, and business.
I hope that Londoners won’t forget this latest cash grab. It’s time for leadership that understands the real challenges facing our city and is willing to address them with more than just punitive measures. Our capital deserves better than this short-sighted, revenue-driven approach to city management.
The question isn’t whether we need to address problem parking – we absolutely do. The question is whether bankrupting London’s drivers is the way to do it.
The answer, quite clearly, is no.
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Keith Prince has represented Havering and Redbridge on the London Assembly since May 2016
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