Foreign drivers are getting away with not paying their parking tickets in Brighton and Hove – costing the taxpayer more than £1.3 million in just two years.

Staggeringly, last year Brighton and Hove City Council only received payment for a measly 1.4% of debts raised by Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) issued to vehicles with foreign number plates, haemorrhaging £774,550.

Since 2011, the council has issued 22,005 PCNs to foreign vehicles amounting to £1,343,390, of which the council has collected just £32,432.

The figures, from a Freedom of Information request made by The Argus, have angered the city’s motorists and opposition councillors who are calling on stipulations to be put in place to combat the problem.

Motoring lobbyist Steve Percy said: “It’s disgusting - that’s got to be the joke of the year.”

It adds to the problem of 25% of tickets going unpaid in total in Brighton and Hove, costing hundreds of thousands of pounds.

On the top 20 earning roads in the city, debts of £2,725,786 were raised through PCNs over the last two years and less than half – only £1,181,579 – was collected.

Madeira Drive was the highest grossing road, with each of its 363 parking spaces averaging more than £500 in parking tickets every year.

Backwards

Mr Percy said: “The statistics show the council is targeting holiday makers, which isn’t how it should be.

“I witness hundreds of vehicles parked illegally in the centre of Brighton around the train station and nothing gets done about it – it’s backwards.

“In this day and age there is no excuse, with computers and monitoring equipment, for not reclaiming that money.

“People get turfed out of their flats for the same amount of debt for not having enough money to pay for rent, why should parking tickets be any different?

“That’s a lot of revenue that’s being lost and it should be on top of the council’s priorities to get it sorted.”

Conservative councillor for Hangleton and Knoll Tony Janio, who sits on the transport and environmental committee, said the responsibility to seize back the money lies with the council’s administration.

He added: “The administration is such a mess they have taken their eye off the ball – and this is a knock on effect from that.

“Drivers from foreign countries with foreign plates don’t have to pay UK road tax as far as I’m aware and seemingly they don’t have to pay parking fines either.

“The money being lost by these fines not being paid could, and should, be being spent elsewhere in transport.

“In my ward, for example, that amount of money would fix every pothole in the area, which is a big problem at the moment.”Coun Janio’s thoughts were echoed by Nigel Farage, leader of UKIP, who said the figures show “the anti-car attitude of the Green council is failing”.

He added: “Brighton needs business and tourism and we should be looking at ways to make the town business friendly which means adequate, affordable parking.”

"Something we take seriously"

Brighton and Hove City Council has defended its collection policy, claiming to be better than most other local authorities in the UK.

A spokesman said: “Collection of parking fines is something we take very seriously, with legal action taken and bailiffs used where necessary.

“Our collection rate for parking fines is more than 75% – a figure that is better than the national average.

“Like all local authorities we have to write off some fines when it would cost more to chase the fines than we would get back. To do otherwise would not be best use of taxpayers’ money.

“This is a situation that crops up with cars registered overseas, where the owners’ details are not held by the DVLA.”

Mr Percy, of the People’s Parking Protest, said it was the motorists who “play the game” and pay their tickets on time are the ones who are penalised.

Mr Percy added: “If there’s any other way the council could be pursuing it more effectively, then something should be put in place – I’ve got a feeling the police wouldn’t be as lenient as the council.

“We should be able to get the addresses of these prosecutors and work with other nations to do the same the other way around.”

Philip Broughton, 30, of Pavilion Car Hire in Worthing has seen the problem first-hand.

As the registered owner he gets sent reminder notices from the council, only to forward them on the addresses of the drivers renting the cars at the time.

He believes the council does not have the power to implement the change which is needed to address the problem.

Money being lost

Mr Broughton said: “It’s a very difficult one and there needs to be laws and regulations in place to deal with it.

“In my view, it has to be something the police monitor and collect – that’s a lot of money being lost.

“It’s different for us because all of our cars have British plates, and if they get a parking ticket it comes back to us as a company, we track it back to who had the car and when, then we send the details back to parking agents and they get in touch with the perpetrators.

“But it proves very difficult to track these people down.

“I mean how can you expect the council or parking agents to track someone down for £30 if they’re in Australia?”

Figures for the debt raised on PCNs are based on their face value, but more than 80% of drivers pay the fine early, at a 50% discounted rate.

A council spokeswoman said: “We are constantly reviewing our system to make it easier and more convenient by, for example, offering online payment.

“We send reminders to those that remain unpaid, but ultimately the council will seek recovery through bailiffs for unpaid charges.”

 

2011-2012

 

Street PCNs issued Debts raised Paid Madeira Drive (C) 3741 £214,733 £93,122 Marine Parade (C) 1688 £96,891 £40,678 Wilbury Road (N) 1563 £89,716 £45,924 First Avenue (N) 1506 £86,444 £43,714 Lansdowne Place (M) 1366 £78,408 £42,179 Grand Avenue (N) 1347 £77,318 £40,875 Old Steine (Z) 1334 £76,572 £33,140 Third Avenue (N) 1121 £64,345 £31,967 Regency Square (Z) 1118 £64,173 £30,755 The Drive (N) 1006 £57,744 £28,526 Foreign Vehicles 9006 £577,820 £21,412

 

2012-13

 

Street PCNs issued Debts raised Paid Madeira Drive (C) 2597 £149,068 £63,462 Marine Parade (C) 1512 £86,789 £32,512 First Avenue (N) 1332 £76,457 £36,081 Lansdowne Place (M) 1322 £75,883 £37,260 Wilbury Road (N) 1312 £75,309 £37,720 Old Steine (Z) 1194 £68,536 £28,211 Regency Square (Z) 1157 £66,412 £27,137 Grand Avenue (N) 1155 £66,297 £32,252 Kings Road (Z) 1044 £59,926 £24,597 New Steine (C) 1029 £59,065 £21,447 Foreign Vehicles 12999 £785,570 £11,020

 

Debt raised is based on the full face value of the Penalty Charge Notice (£50 or £70) but more than 80% of PCNs are paid at the discounted rate (£25 or £50).