Protests over council 'stealth tax' for parking appeal

1.11.02pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 4th Aug 2003

MP Vincent Cable has criticised the council for a back door increase in parking fines' after obtaining a clarification of confusing regulations on parking fines that have annoyed and baffled many residents.

It used to be the case that if a resident appealed against an unfair

parking ticket, and even if he or she lost the appeal, there was still 14 days to pay at the reduced, £40, rate. Now anyone appealing has to pay £80 with the possibility of a £40 fine only if the appeal is successful.

Vincent Cable said: "the Conservative council has invented a rather clever but nasty stealth tax by penalising people who appeal against parking fines. Since the parking wardens are often extremely inflexible and occasionally wrong it is important that there is a fair and transparent system of appeals."

"Now the council is penalising people who go to appeal. They risk a doubling of the fine if the appeal is turned down".

"Most reasonable motorists accept that there have to be parking

restrictions and that there have to be penalties for offences. But the penalties are heavy often for trivial offences. Further penalising people who wish to exercise legitimate publicised appeal rights is sneaky, unreasonable and anti-motorist; the Conservative council deserves to be taken to task over these changes."