Cllr Steve Bentley (Conservative, Ercall Magna) has called on Telford & Wrekin’s Labour-run Council to urgently clarify how much surplus revenue they receive from parking enforcement, and prove it is being invested in highways and road safety, as legally required.
The comments come after a recent Telford Live article revealed that surplus income from parking fines is “reinvested” into highways and transport projects, such as improving residential car parking or funding sustainable transport. However, Cllr Bentley has challenged whether Labour even knows the exact surplus figure.
“If Labour can’t tell us what the surplus actually is, how can residents have confidence it’s being spent where it should be? The law is clear – any surplus must go into highways, transport and road safety. Without transparency, residents will rightly suspect that Labour are using motorists as a cash cow to cover for their own mismanagement and the huge deficit they’ve created in the Council’s budget.”
Cllr Bentley also expressed disappointment over a decline in enforcement action against disabled parking abuse, describing it as “deeply concerning.” He singled out private hire drivers as persistent offenders and called for tough action.
“Disabled parking spaces exist for a reason. They are essential lifelines for those who need them most. For private hire drivers to repeatedly abuse them is unacceptable. The Council should adopt a zero-tolerance approach and suspend the licences of any private hire driver caught breaking these laws.”
“Labour must come clean on parking surplus – and take a zero-tolerance approach to private hire drivers abusing disabled bays”
The Conservative Group will continue pressing the Council for both greater transparency over parking revenue and stronger enforcement to protect disabled parking spaces.
