Lincolnshire County Council has uncovered a substantial financial shortfall of over £300,000 within their parking enforcement services for the last year. This revelation follows the integration of a new and expensive contract intended to amplify the effectiveness of parking patrols via the use of cutting-edge technology. Despite achieving an unparalleled level of income from Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), with upwards of 47,000 tickets bringing in close to £2 million, the expense of managing the service has seen a dramatic increase to £2.3 million, a considerable increase from the £1.6 million of the year before.
The council asserts that this deficit can be traced back to the £1.8 million expenditure of a new contract and persistent inflation surpassing the fixed revenue from PCNs. Taking into consideration that savings reserved to offset these deficits will be exhausted in about two years, the council is considering a reduction in its operations should these financial drawbacks continue.
In this year’s annual report, the council declared that they are deploying active strategies to decrease the deficit. These strategies include modifications within the contractor’s organisation to uphold the service’s sustainability. However, unless there is a revision of PCN costs by central government in the forthcoming year, Lincolnshire may need to reassess its service delivery method or pursue additional funding.
This matter is expected to be raised at the forthcoming council’s Highways and Transport Committee meeting scheduled for October 20th. The council is examining viable solutions to restore financial balance, whilst continuing to deliver effective parking enforcement across the county.
The original version of this story was reported by www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk and has been adapted for The Lincoln Post.
