North Ayrshire Council rake in £11,000 in first two weeks of new parking laws

People who ultimately refuse to pay a fine through decriminalised parking could face legal action, cabinet member for the Green Environment and the Economy Tony Gurney warned at the North Ayrshire Council meeting last Wednesday.

Tory cllr Matthew McLean asked a series of questions about how the scheme, which came into force earlier this year, was working.

He said: “Can the Cabinet Member for Green Environment and Economy tell me how many FPE (Fixed Penalty Notices) have been issued? How many have been paid in full, and how much was raised? How many have been paid at the reduced rate and how many have not been paid on time?”

Cllr Gurney responded: “Decriminalised Parking Enforcement involves the issuing of Penalty Charge Notices (PCN’s) as opposed to Fixed Penalty Notices which are issued for littering and other offences.

"From April 15, 2024 to April 30, 2024 we issued 497 PCNs.

“In all, 218 have been paid and income of £10,900 has been realised and 218 have been paid at the reduced rate.

“None have not been paid on time as the scheme started on April 15, therefore no payments are overdue”.

Cllr McLean then asked what would happen if fines were not paid on time.

Cllr Gurney said: “These kinds of notices cannot simply be ignored just for public record in the way some people treat a supermarket caution.

“There is a certain amount of time. If you pay within 14 days you get a 50 per cent discount.

"If it's between 15 and 56 days you face a full £100 fine and between 57 and 71 days there is a surcharge of 50 per cent. So the fine will go from £50 to £100 to £150.

“After that a charge certificate is issued and if the customer doesn't pay within 14 days the file will be passed to the sheriff officer, which would then involve debt recovery."

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