Drivers will be hammered again after Labour granted councils sweeping new powers to fine motorists for pavement parking in what critics call a ‘money grab’.
New powers to fine pavement parking announced (Image: Getty)
Drivers will be hammered yet again after Labour ministers announced a raft of new powers will be handed to councils to fine motorists. The money-grabbing scheme will see local authorities granted the right to fine motorists for parking on pavements, in what has been slammed as a “licence to print money” by critics.
Government officials confirmed the sweeping powers will come into force later this year, alongside guidance which intends to keep the fines “proportionate”. Pavement parking is already illegal in London, with drivers slapped with £160 penalties if their motor is caught. Labour MPs have welcomed the move saying it helps protect children and disabled who rely on “accessible pavements”.
Lillian Greenwood told the Telegraph: “We will be enabling local authorities to enforce against unnecessary obstruction of the pavement. This provides a practical and proportionate solution, allowing councils to act where pavement parking is observed by uniformed civil enforcement officers, while retaining local discretion and flexibility.”
Official papers reveal that a consultation on the move was carried out by transport bosses in Whitehall back in 2020. Britons told civil service mandarins that they feared it would be seen as a “licence for councils to print money” which could undermine trust in local authorities.
It comes just hours after the Daily Express exclusive revealed Labour Ministers were plotting to slap up parking fines in collusion with left-wing council bosses. Damning papers seen by the Express showed how left-wing councils had been lobbying the Prime Minister to give them more powers to raise parking fines to plug black holes in their own budgets.
The dossier revealed how a staggering 44.8 million requests for driver details were made to the DVLA in 2024-25, more than the 33 million registered vehicles on UK roads. Eight out of the ten councils making the most requests were run by Labour, with the bombshell papers revealing how local authorities complained they couldn’t balance their own books.
Labour announced Councils will gain new revenue-raising powers (Image: Getty)
It was lampooned as a “secret plot” by critics, which could see fines rise by up to 700 per cent.
However local government bosses have applauded the latest move by Labour to hand them more revenue raising powers. Cllr Tom Hunt said that pavement parking was one of the issues his residents complained about the most.
He said: “It can cause a lot of disruption and block access, particularly to those with mobility issues or parents who are pushing their children in buggies.”
Some campaigners have argued the sweeping reforms do not go far enough, and have asked for a nationwide ban on parking on the pavement, which would leave people without parking spaces in their property boundary with nowhere to leave their vehicle.
It is the latest change in a raft of policy moves targeting motorists, with ministers recently announcing a plan to remove the six-month time limit on legal action for those caught speeding, as well as plans to lower drink-driving limits.
