Islington Council Campaigning for Fairer Parking Charges

Lucy McNulty

High parking fines could become a thing of the past for Islington residents, as Islington Council campaigns to get fairer parking charges introduced in the borough.
Islington currently has a set fixed charge of £100 for all offences (this drops to £50 if paid within 14 days), in accordance with London Councils which sets the rate of penalty charges in all London boroughs.
Believing this system to be unfair Islington Council has begun lobbying London Councils to agree a more common sense approach that sets parking charges at different levels for different offences.
Councillor Lucy Watt, Islington Council's Executive Member for the Environment, said: “The council has listened to residents' views on parking, and we agree that a more proportionate approach is needed. We want to see a system that sets different levels of parking fines rather than having one fixed rate.”
She added: “I believe, for instance, that there's a common sense difference between going over time on a 'pay and display' bay and dangerous parking on a zig zag line outside a school. That's why the council has lobbied London Councils to reduce the penalty for less serious parking offences. I know residents will agree with me.”