TOWN halls were accused by campaigners today of using motorists as “cash cows”, despite research showing that the money raised in parking fines dropped 16% last year.
Figures obtained by the Taxpayers’ Alliance (TPA), which campaigns for lower taxes, showed the total for 2008/9 was £328m – down from £379m the previous year.
The recession may have made drivers more cautious about breaking rules, the TPA suggested.
But it said the data, supplied by 99% of local authorities in response to freedom of information requests, also showed some were still collecting the equivalent of up to £85 per day-time resident.
And six of the 10 top-charging councils were rated “four-star” by Whitehall – meaning they were free to spend the profits on anything they wished.
The average income for English councils was £6.14 per daytime resident.
