Fife Council’s new breed of parking attendants have been accused of “disproportionate and over-zealous” behaviour.
An MSP hit out following claims of a massive increase in the number of parking tickets issued since local authority wardens took to the streets.
A Freedom of Information request has revealed that Fife Council issued 755 tickets in Kirkcaldy between June 1 and July 5 this year, compared with 1,373 issued by Police Scotland (formerly Fife Constabulary) in the town for the whole of 2012.
Fife Council defended its parking attendants and insisted the figures were being taken “out of context”.
Kirkcaldy MSP David Torrance, who made the FOI request, said he was both “amazed and appalled” at the figures which suggested that in a single month, the cash-strapped council has imposed 55% of the total number of parking tickets issued for the whole of the previous year.
Mr Torrance believes the council is shamelessly using shoppers and commuters as a “revenue earner”.
He said: “Since assuming responsibility for monitoring parking offences in Kirkcaldy on June 1 2013, there has been a massive increase in the number of tickets issued.
“Between June 1 2013 and July 5 2013, it transpires that Fife Council have issue 755 tickets in Kirkcaldy, as opposed to the 1,373 issued by Police Scotland (formerly Fife Constabulary) for the whole of 2012.
“These tickets have not just been issued for exceeding the time limit shown on the ticket, but also for more minor offences such as being marginally outside the white lines of the parking bays.”
“Some of these issues have been brought to my attention by constituents coming in to the local constituency office. It is significant to note that in the same period only 225 tickets were issued in Dunfermline.”
Mr Torrance said it was essential that parking infringements that might impede the free flow of traffic in Kirkcaldy, or cause a danger to the public, especially around the town centre are monitored and dealt with appropriately.
However, he said it appeared to him that that when the number of tickets issued by parking attendants employed by the council in one month alone is more than half the number for the whole of the previous year, then the response is “disproportionate and over-zealous”.
He added: “Although the new traffic wardens are merely doing their job by enforcing the restrictions, the council deem necessary, this can be seen as nothing more than an exercise in boosting the coffers of Fife Council yet again at the expense of the people of Kirkcaldy.
“If parking tickets continue to be issued at this rate, it will certainly provide the council with greater revenue, but will merely be yet another measure that will drive people away from the town centre.
“This will lead to a decrease in footfall on Kirkcaldy High Street and increase the possibility of more jobs being lost.
“The neighbouring retail parks will surely become more appealing. It is time for the council to reassess their priorities before it is too late.”
Fife Council executive member for transportation and environment, Pat Callaghan, said: “The figures which Mr Torrance is quoting here do not compare like with like and have been taken out of context.
“The figure of 1,373 tickets issued by Police Scotland only includes tickets they issued for on-street parking breaches and does not include the number of tickets issued by Fife Council in that time.
“The 755 figure for June includes all tickets issued for parking breaches, both on street and within car parks etc.
“The figure for the whole of Fife for the first two months of the new system is 2,300, roughly in line with the monthly average. There will obviously be seasonal variations, caused by an influx of tourists or Christmas shoppers.
“In Fife our town centres are diverse and varied. Parking issues in Dunfermline will not be the same as those in Kirkcaldy or St Andrews, for example, which has a large amount of fee-paying, on-street parking bays.
“Any implication that there is anything untoward in the way these parking tickets are issued is particularly upsetting for our officers. Photographic evidence is taken of all parking breaches. This protects both the motorist and the warden.
“The purpose of these fines is to improve our town centre experience for all those who use them, making sure that individuals are parking responsibly and legally.
“If Mr Torrance has any issues with the way parking tickets are being issued, I would welcome the opportunity to talk to him to discuss the situation.”
Superintendent Dougie Milton said: “This is entirely a matter for Fife Council to comment on, as they are now responsible for parking enforcement and this includes Fife Council car parks, which were never enforced by community traffic wardens under the former Fife Constabulary/Fife division of Police Scotland.
“Until July, community traffic wardens carried out many police-related roles in addition to parking enforcement, such as providing locus protection, carrying out door-to-door inquiries and resolving parking disputes.”