Hillingdon Council has launched a public consultation on plans to tackle an increase in parking non-compliance in the borough. The consultation began on Monday 17 April and will run until noon on Monday 5 June.
In recent years, Hillingdon Council has seen a significant rise in the number of tickets issued for parking contraventions, which has increased by 29 per cent between 2018/19 and 2021/22. This is in comparison to the London average of 21 per cent during the same period.
Currently, within the capital, there are two levels of charging for parking fines – Band A and Band B. Hillingdon Council currently uses Band B, which was last reviewed in 2011 and has not changed in more than 10 years.
To deter non-compliance with parking restrictions and reduce the number of fines issued annually, Hillingdon Council proposes to increase the penalty amount from Band B to Band A, which is used by 25 of the 32 London Councils and the City of London.
Cllr Eddie Lavery, Hillingdon Council’s Cabinet Member for Residents Services, said: “Our proposals to move to Band A charging form part of the council’s commitment to tackling anti-social behaviour and taking enforcement action to protect residents. We want to ensure and maintain a high level of compliance with parking restrictions, reduce congestion and keep traffic flowing, and I encourage residents to have their say in this survey.”
The consultation seeks to gather feedback from residents on the proposed changes. Following the consultation, feedback will be presented to the council’s Cabinet, which will make a decision on whether to apply to the Secretary of State to change the band for the borough. Any application to the Secretary of State is also subject to the prior approval of London Councils and the Mayor of London.
If an application is progressed and is successful, it is unlikely that any change would take effect before 2024/25. To have your say, visit www.hillingdon.gov.uk/pcn-consultation.
