Drivers in London are being slapped with over £1billion in Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) a year as enforcement of parking and bus lane offences continue to surge to record levels.
The latest data on the volume of fines issued and appeals raised has been released by London Councils – and there’s a distinct rise in PCNs issued since 2023-24.
Year-on-year, penalty charges for contravened parking, bus lane and moving traffic regulations rose by 13.5 per cent to 9.4million. Compared to 2010 figures, that’s a 70 per cent jump in charges issued.
But Londoners are fighting back against what the AA has dubbed ‘a money-making exercise’.
Alongside the increase in PCNs was a 13.6 per cent growth in appeals to London Tribunals – up from 42,193 in the previous year to 47,935 in 2024-25.
However, depressingly for motorists, the percentage of appeals won fell from 54.9 per cent to less than half (49.4 per cent) last year.
The figures come as drivers penalised for parking illegally in the capital have seen the cost of fines rise by over a quarter under new rules introduced by Mayor Sadiq Khan.
There’s been a 13.5% increase in PCNs handed out in London since 2023-24 a new report shows, with almost 10 million fines issues in 2024-25
In total London Boroughs, London Lorry Control Scheme and Transport for London issued a record 9,462,185 PCNs to motorists who had contravened parking, bus lane and moving traffic regulations, the data shows.
The increase was due to an 13.4 per cent rise in the number of parking PCNs issued, while bus lane tickets saw an increase of 16.8 per cent and moving traffic fines up 13.3 per cent.
Analysis by the AA also found that nine of the 10 councils across England generating the biggest profits from PCNs are located in the capital – with Westminster the biggest earner, declaring a net income of £90.6million from £129.4million of revenue.
Brighton and Hove Council – raking in a £3.2million profit from £53million of income from motorists – was the only non-capital authority to feature in the national top 10.
London’s 33 boroughs combined received almost £1.1billion in income from parking fees and penalty charges in 2024-25. This is almost half of the amount paid across the entire country.
After costs were deducted, London boroughs pocketed a combined ‘profit’ of £638million, the analysis found.
Edmund King, president of the AA says: ‘While there is a need to protect parking spaces and bus lanes from drivers who break rules and make life difficult for other road users, London enforcement that used to be for deterrence is now a money-making exercise for TfL and London councils.
‘We are glad to see more drivers fighting back with a 13.6 per cent increase in appeals to London Tribunals.’
If a motorist believes a PCN has been issued unfairly, they can contact the local authority that issued it to make a challenge.
If they’re not satisfied with the response, they can take their case to an independent adjudicator through the London Tribunals appeals service, which is run on behalf of the councils to ensure a fair and impartial review.
The appeals increase of 5,742 (13.6 per cent) to 47,935 equates to a 0.45 per cent of appeals received against total PCNs issued.
The PCNs were dolled out to motorists who had contravened parking, bus lane and moving traffic regulations. However 13.6% of those fined fought back, appealing their PCN
The report says ‘this shows a significant improvement by boroughs in both the quality of evidence presented at appeal and how challenges to the PCN are considered by boroughs at earlier stages’.
And the report further stipulates that ‘London boroughs and TfL only issue PCNs when they believe they have evidence that a breach of parking or moving traffic rules has occurred and that all PCN income goes towards paying for the provision of essential traffic and parking services, with any surplus funding ringfenced to invest in other important transport projects and services such as the Freedom Pass concessionary travel scheme for older and disabled Londoners’.
However, King disagrees.
‘Sadly, too many drivers, who are certain they did nothing wrong or the road and sign layout was in effect a trap, paid the half-rate within 14 days instead of contesting the PCN,’ he told the Daily Mail and This is Money.
‘Such is the fear of having to pay fines that are more than a day’s wages and often don’t fit the nature of the offence, such as being one wheel over the line.’
From April, London parking penalty charges were increased by as much as 27 per cent – a move signed off by Mayor Khan.
Band A areas (higher-level charges) have risen from £130 to £160 (up 23 per cent), while PCNs for illegal parking in band B areas has been hiked from £110 to £140.
The change came off the back off a request by London Councils – who represent the capital’s local authorities collectively – to stop ‘anti-social and obstructive parking’ in the city.
City Hall in March confirmed that the 50 per cent discount will stay in place for PCNs paid within 14 days. However, this means some drivers will have to stump up £80 minimum in they pay up within a fortnight of receiving a PCN.
Across the country, drivers paid £2.3billion to English councils for on and off-street parking, which generated a profit of £1.2billion.
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