Parking fine appeals successful four times out of 10

Figures obtained by the BBC show that four out of 10 appeals for parking or bus lane fines sent to councils across the UK over the last five years have led to fines being cancelled.

The figures, released under the Freedom of Information Act, revealed that out of almost 4.3 million appeals, 1.8 million succeeded, with 84 councils accepting more than half of challenges.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, which overturned charges on 11,575 of 12,804 challenged tickets said that new parking machines at council-run car parks installed in 2017 had reduced the number of successful appeals. Christchurch Borough Council, which had the second-highest rate of successful appeals over the five-year period, said it saw an increase in successful appeals after establishing a ‘virtual parking permit system’.

Martin Tett, transport spokesman for the Local Government Association, said: "As these figures confirm, people who want to challenge a parking fine have access to a clear and effective appeals process. Councils have to strike a difficult balance when setting parking policy, to make sure that there are spaces available for residents, high streets are kept vibrant and traffic is kept moving. They also need to ensure that emergency vehicles can get access to incidents quickly."