Portsmouth council makes profit of £3.5m from parking charges

PORTSMOUTH City Council made more than £3m profit from parking charges, figures released today have revealed.
Figures show how much profit councils have made from parkingFigures show how much profit councils have made from parking
Figures show how much profit councils have made from parking

The data from RAC Foundation showed that for 2015/16 Portsmouth City Council made a surplus of £3.5m ranking 56th in the country.

Fareham Borough Council saw a profit exceeding £1m as it made £1.2m, the same amount made by East Hampshire District Council.

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Elsewhere, Gosport Borough Council made £469,000 while Havant Borough Council saw a profit of £680,000.

Portsmouth’s neighbours Southampton saw £5.5m in profit.

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: ‘These numbers might seem eye-wateringly large, but in part they reflect the growing competition for space in many of our towns and cities.

‘In 1995 there were only 21.4m cars on Britain’s roads, today there are 30.7 million.

‘Parking charges are one of the tools councils use to keep traffic moving while also allowing people reasonable and affordable access to high street shops and other facilities.

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‘The good news is that any profit generated by councils from on-street parking must by law be spent on transport-related activities, and as every motorist knows there’s no shortage of work that needs doing.’