The streets in Richmond where the most drivers got caught breaking parking and traffic rules last year have been revealed, with one street catching out motorists more than 5,200 times. Richmond Council collected nearly £30million from slapping motorists with Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) in the last six years, a Freedom of Information Request (FOI) revealed.
The council responded to a FOI request from the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), which showed it handed out a total of 579,034 PCNs from the financial years 2018/19 to 2023/24. The figure has steadily increased since the council issued 74,025 PCNs in 2020/21 to 116,811 PCNs in 2023/24.
PCNs are issued to drivers who have been seen allegedly breaking parking or traffic restrictions. The council enforces these restrictions using patrolling civil enforcement officers and CCTV cameras.
Data provided by the council also revealed the top 10 streets where the most PCNs were handed out in 2023/24. The streets and number of PCNs are listed below:
- Upper Sunbury Road junction with Lower Sunbury Road: 5,254 PCNs
- The Green, Richmond: 4,022 PCNs
- Kew Green, Kew: 3,460 PCNs
- Sheen Road, Richmond: 2,882 PCNs
- Burtons Road eastwards from Seymour Road: 2,338 PCNs
- Heath Road bus lane, Twickenham: 2,250 PCNs
- Lower Teddington Road junction with Normansfield Avenue: 2,110 PCNs
- Old Deer Park car park, Richmond: 2,086 PCNs
- The Embankment, Twickenham: 1,793 PCNs
- Lion Road junction with Grove Avenue, Twickenham: 1,761 PCNs
Four of these streets featured in the top 10 streets where the most PCNs were issued in every year from 2018/19 to 2023/24. These were The Green, Richmond, Sheen Road, Richmond, The Embankment, Twickenham, and Kew Green, Kew.
The council collected £5.5m from handing out PCNs in 2023/24. Overall, it generated £29.2m in revenue from issuing PCNs from 2018/19 to 2023/24. A breakdown of the revenue it has collected from issuing PCNs is summarised below:
- 2018/19: £4.7m
- 2019/20: £4.4m
- 2020/21: £3.8m
- 2021/22: £4.8m
- 2022/23: £6m
- 2023/24: £5.5m
The FOI request also revealed how many PCNs the council issued in every financial year since 2018/19. This is set out below:
- 2018/19: 96,935 PCNs
- 2019/20: 82,799 PCNs
- 2020/21: 74,025 PCNs
- 2021/22: 95,415 PCNs
- 2022/23: 113,049 PCNs
- 2023/24: 116,811 PCNs
All income generated from PCNs goes into the council’s parking account, which is required by law to be spent on transport-related projects – including highways improvements and maintenance.
The council approved plans in February to replace the two parking enforcement contracts currently held separately by Richmond and Wandsworth with a single contract. A new contractor will deliver the service from August 1, after the current contracts end in July.
The contract will be held jointly by Richmond and Wandsworth councils for five years, with the option to extend it for another two years. While one company will deliver the service, civil enforcement officers will follow individual council policies and separate financial accounting processes.
A report by council officers said the changes will lead to ‘reduced contract management costs for both boroughs’ to make full use of the shared staffing arrangement the authority holds with Wandsworth. It added the council aims to provide a ‘seamless transition with no disruption to service levels’.
Image: Upper Sunbury Road junction with Lower Sunbury Road, where Richmond Council issued the most PCNs in 2023/24. Credit: Google Maps
