Parking fines top £18,000‏

Labour councillor for East Central Ward, Garry Calver, believes that enough is enough after receiving responses to Freedom of Information requests about parking fines levied in Dovercourt town centre on market days.
Dovercourt’s High Street market opened on November 5th 2010 and up until 31st March 2011 Tendring District Council was responsible for policing ‘on street’ parking on behalf of the statutory Highways authority, Essex County Council. On 1st April 2011 Essex County Council transferred this role to North Essex Parking Partnership who immediately outlawed the use of parking cones and began a vigorous campaign of ticketing.
Freedom of Information requests submitted by Garry Calver have revealed that the first five months of the market were policed by TDC without a single parking ticket being issued but a staggering 531 have been issued on market days in the Kingsway and Station Road, Dovercourt by North Essex Parking Partnership in the nine months since they took over.
Cllr Garry Calver says “This is a massive problem but no one is taking responsibility for sorting it out. Harwich Town Council has done all that it can but it is a County Council issue and we are getting no help from them. It is now two months since our last letter but no response has been received.”
Each parking ticket is for a minimum fine of £35, which means that at least £18,585 worth of tickets have been issued in these two short roads on Fridays in just nine months. Throughout this time the matter has received a lot of local publicity and has been brought to the attention of Essex County Council and Bernard Jenkin MP by Harwich Town Council.
“The different approach adopted by the North Essex Parking Partnership has not improved the situation but it has certainly been a money-spinner for them,” continued Garry Calver. “Essex County Council is fully aware of the problem and must now deal with it.”
For further information please contact

Garry Calver on 01255 551940

Also see Harwich & Manningtree Standard – Fines totalling £18,000 given over nine months in Dovercourt

Harwich & Manningtree Standard – I’m sorry: ‘Councillor apologises after Standard reveals inaccuracy’