Scottish councils make surplus of £29m from parking
Figures analysed by the RAC Foundation show that between them local authorities in Scotland made an annual net surplus of £29 million from their parking activities.
The biggest ‘profits’ were made in Edinburgh (£14 million) and Glasgow (£6.8 million). Aberdeen was third on the list (£4.3 million).
Of the 32 councils analysed:
- 17 showed a surplus (£30.2 million)
- 3 did not provide parking accounts
- 12 showed a deficit (£1.2 million)
Viewed together this gives the £29 million national net surplus.
The figures relate to the financial year 2011-12, the last for which figures are currently available.
The total of £29 million was a slight rise on the £28.6 million reported in the previous financial year.
The full table of councils is further down in this press release.
The data, studied for the RAC Foundation by David Leibling, comes from the annual returns that councils make to the Scottish Government.
The surplus, or deficit, for each individual council is calculated by taking parking income – from on and off street charges, and penalties – and subtracting operating and capital costs.
The analysis follows on from other work the Foundation published in July this year showing that English councils made £565 million over the same period.
Professor Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation, said:
“For many local authorities, especially in Scotland’s two biggest cities, parking charges are big generators of cash.
“Not all authorities make big sums, but added together the surpluses dwarf the deficits.
“Faced with these figures drivers will understandably want to know why parking charges are set at the level they are and what happens to the ‘profit’. We would hope that the money is being ploughed back into local roads.”
ENDS
Contacts:
RAC Foundation:
[email protected] | 020 7747 3445 | 020 7389 0601 (ISDN) | 07711 776448
Notes to editors:
The RAC Foundation is a transport policy and research organisation that explores the economic, mobility, safety and environmental issues relating to roads and their users. The Foundation publishes independent and authoritative research with which it promotes informed debate and advocates policy in the interest of the responsible motorist. The RAC Foundation is a registered charity, number 1002705.
Parking surpluses by council:
|
|
£000 |
Parking surpluses |
Surplus as % of transport expenditure |
|||
|
|
£ 000 |
2011-12 |
2010-11 |
Change 2011-12 on 2010-11 |
2011-12 |
2010-11 |
|
1 |
Edinburgh, City of |
14012 |
13087 |
7% |
50% |
45% |
|
2 |
Glasgow City |
6823 |
6990 |
-2% |
19% |
22% |
|
3 |
Aberdeen City |
4317 |
4274 |
1% |
28% |
30% |
|
4 |
Perth & Kinross |
1034 |
721 |
43% |
7% |
4% |
|
5 |
Renfrewshire |
705 |
844 |
-16% |
5% |
7% |
|
6 |
South Lanarkshire |
580 |
558 |
4% |
2% |
2% |
|
7 |
Fife |
545 |
627 |
-13% |
1% |
1% |
|
8 |
Argyll & Bute |
434 |
464 |
-6% |
3% |
2% |
|
9 |
East Ayrshire |
382 |
465 |
-18% |
3% |
4% |
|
10 |
Moray |
358 |
165 |
117% |
4% |
2% |
|
11 |
Highland |
320 |
247 |
30% |
1% |
1% |
|
12 |
Dundee City |
290 |
645 |
-55% |
4% |
6% |
|
13 |
Aberdeenshire |
282 |
197 |
43% |
1% |
1% |
|
14 |
Falkirk |
131 |
142 |
-8% |
1% |
1% |
|
15 |
South Ayrshire |
46 |
116 |
-60% |
0% |
1% |
|
16 |
Orkney Islands |
7 |
3 |
133% |
0% |
0% |
|
17 |
Eilean Siar |
6 |
-7 |
-186% |
0% |
0% |
|
18 |
East Lothian |
* |
* |
|
|
|
|
19 |
Inverclyde |
* |
* |
|
|
|
|
20 |
North Lanarkshire |
* |
* |
|
|
|
|
21 |
Shetland Islands |
-14 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
22 |
Stirling |
-16 |
122 |
-113% |
0% |
1% |
|
23 |
East Renfrewshire |
-40 |
-49 |
-18% |
0% |
-1% |
|
24 |
Clackmannanshire |
-52 |
10 |
-620% |
-2% |
0% |
|
25 |
East Dunbartonshire |
-62 |
-72 |
-14% |
-1% |
-1% |
|
26 |
West Dunbartonshire |
-78 |
-79 |
-1% |
-1% |
-2% |
|
27 |
Midlothian |
-87 |
-91 |
-4% |
-1% |
-1% |
|
28 |
West Lothian |
-100 |
-44 |
127% |
-1% |
0% |
|
29 |
Scottish Borders |
-114 |
-261 |
-56% |
-1% |
-1% |
|
30 |
Angus |
-153 |
-107 |
43% |
-1% |
-1% |
|
31 |
North Ayrshire |
-253 |
-73 |
247% |
-2% |
-1% |
|
32 |
Dumfries & Galloway |
-259 |
-262 |
-1% |
-1% |
-1% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Scotland |
29044 |
28632 |
1% |
6% |
5% |
An * indicates no parking accounts available. In Inverclyde parking enforcement is carried out by the police not the local authority.
