Pressure mounts on Renfrewshire Council over Paisley town centre parking charges as warning issued

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Pressure is mounting on Renfrewshire Council amid claims a contentious parking strategy could cause "irreversible damage" in Paisley.The local authority has been urged to rethink changes that took effect in February as figures show a stark rise in the amount of money being pulled in through fines.

Charges for on and off-street parking increased in the town centre, with one hour free for both, the Free for Three initiative was axed and penalty charge notices jumped from £60 to £100 – the fee halved if paid within a fortnight.Data, released following a freedom of information request, has since disclosed the level of funds the council has recovered through parking fines.

The total stood at £32,367.05 in February (compared to £13,502.05 in February 2023), £51,189.05 in March (£15,750 in March 2023), £30,775.05 in April (£12,809 in April 2023) and £42,450 in May (£11,740 in May 2023).Labour MSP Neil Bibby fired: "These figures reveal a huge hike in the amount of money the council has been pocketing in parking fines.

While appropriate action should be taken to tackle illegal parking there are clearly questions to be answered on these eye-watering increases."It is little wonder these increases coincided with the council's decision to reduce free parking in Paisley and hike up charges.