MORE than 20,000 parking fines given out in Southampton last year are still outstanding, leaving the council thousands of pounds out of pocket, the Echo can reveal.
A total of 21,268 penalty charge notices (PCNs) issued between January and December 2022 remain unpaid, a Freedom of Information request shows.
Overall, the council issued 74,431 fines for parking breaches last year.
This equates to a £1,452,611 boost for the local authority.
Conservative MP for Southampton Itchen, Royston Smith, said it is "essential" that the council chases these outstanding fines.
READ MORE: City council rakes in £2m in a year from parking tickets and bus lane fines
He said: "What is the point in issuing fines if they are not enforced? This sends out a poor message and is not fair to taxpayers.
"This council is heading towards bankruptcy and rather than collect outstanding fines they have increased council tax when residents are already grappling with the cost of living challenge.
"It goes to the heart of competence and it’s looking more and more as if the Labour council have lost control."
Council leader, Satvir Kaur, previously denied claims the council is facing effective bankruptcy.
The authority said the money from PCNs for offences on public roads is used to pay for transport, highways, and parking-related costs.
Money collected from off-street offences, such as in car parks, goes to the council’s general fund.
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Asked how much the council is owed in unpaid fines, the authority said it couldn’t provide a set figure.
A spokesperson said: "The council would not be able to provide a set figure for this as it is subject to change and will depend at which level the Penalty Charge Notices are paid at."
However, assuming each parking ticket is worth £50 – the standard fine issued by the council – the authority could be owed up to £1m in outstanding parking tickets for one year.
The spokesperson added: “We robustly pursue payment for penalty charge notices in a number of different ways, in accordance with statutory guidance, and are currently in the process of pursuing all outstanding charges.”
In 2019, the council raked in almost £2 million in one year from parking fines and drivers caught using bus lanes.
In the same year, bus lane fines resulted in the authority cashing in more than £500,000 while parking fines brought the council almost £1.5m.
Cabinet member for environment and transport, councillor Eamonn Keogh, was contacted for comment.
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