Value of Grove Park Fines Topped £13 Million Last Year


Over 100,000 PCNs issued at Staveley Road and Hartington Road


A sign notifying of the Staveley Road restriction. Picture: Google Streetview

January 22, 2023

Hounslow Council issued fines worth in excess of £13 million to motorists breaching access restrictions in Grove Park last year.

Over 100,000 Penalty Charge Notices for £130 were given out for driving during restricted hours along Staveley Road and Hartington Road. Most people receiving the fines elect to pay them during a discount period so the amount collected by the council will ultimately be less.

About 75% of the fines given during the year were for Staveley Road although, towards the end of the year, for reasons yet to be explained, the level of fines issued on the two roads started to become roughly equal.

The amount of fines given out peaked in March when £2,443,610 worth were given out and the monthly rate remained high until the summer when it dipped sharply. There was a renewed surge in November when access restrictions on the A4 caused queuing on the A316 leading motorists to mistakenly use the restricted roads.

The figures were obtained through a Freedom of Information (FoI) request by local resident Ceinwen Mailvagnam who did her own analysis of the data assuming an average rate paid for the fines of £65. This is consistent with the collection rates for PCNs shown in information released under the FoI Act for similar traffic restrictions in the area.

Her analysis suggests that Hounslow Council brought in £6,876,545 during the year. This is over 5% of the total amount collected in Council Tax.

The numbers supplied by the council did not include the figures for September. Unless there was no enforcement that month it is likely that the total value of fines issued for the year would be over £14,000,000 and the amount collected would exceed £7,000,000.

PCNs Issued Relating to Grove Park Traffic Restrictions 2022
  Hartington Road Staveley Road Both roads
Months Number of Fines Total paid assuming average of £65 Number of Fines Total paid assuming average of £65 Number of Fines Total paid assuming average of £65 Total value of fines issued (£)
Jan
1,475
95,875
131
8,515
1,606
104,390
208,870
Feb
2,844
184,860
7,969
517,985
10,813
702,845
1,405,690
Mar
3,474
225,810
15,323
995,995
18,797
1,221,805
2,443,610
Apr
3,093
201,045
11,751
763,815
14,844
964,860
1,929,720
May
2,915
189,475
13,259
861,835
16,174
1,051,310
2,102,620
Jun
3,294
214,110
12,238
795,470
15,532
1,009,580
2,019,160
Jul
2,468
160,420
8,615
559,975
11,083
720,395
1,440,790
Aug
587
38,155
645
41,925
1,232
80,080
160,160
Sep - - - - - -
-
Oct
1,969
127,985
2,532
164,580
4,501
292,565
585,130
Nov
4,487
291,655
4,552
295,880
9,039
587,535
1,175,070
Dec
1,128
73,320
1,044
67,860
2,172
141,180
282,360
Grand Total
27,734
1,802,710
78,059
5,073,835
105,793
6,876,545
13,753,090

Source: Hounslow Council/Ceinwen Mailvagnam

A second FoI request by Andrew Jones was responded to by the council at the same time. This sought to confirm the claim made by the One Chiswick campaign group that Hounslow Council should repay £10,000,000 in fines given to 'the carers, nurses and workers of Chiswick' in the first six months of the year.

Cheque for £10million presented at meeting. Picture: Twitter/Jane O'Donnell

The data provided that the total value of PCNs issued on the two roads between January and June 2022 did just exceed £10,000,000 but this assumes that the full rate was paid and includes cancelled and written off fines. Excluding the latter, the 'potential' revenue for the council was £8,783,190 but based on the assumptions made earlier about the average collection rate, the amount collected would actually have been over £4,000,000.

Staveley Road (PCN Code 53C) - issued 2022
Month Issued Cancelled Written off
Jan
131
13
5
Feb
7969
918
186
Mar
15323
2550
245
Apr
11751
1352
168
May
13257
957
147
Jun
12238
1219
52
Total
60669
7009
803
Value @ £130
7,886,970
911,170
104,390

Source: Hounslow Council/Andrew Jones

Hartington Road (PCN Code 52M) - issued 2022
Month Issued Cancelled Written off
Jan
1470
127
86
Feb
2838
284
167
Mar
3474
629
64
Apr
3093
425
59
May
2916
207
42
Jun
3294
270
19
Total
17085
1942
437
Value @ £130
2,221,050
252,460
56,810

Source: Hounslow Council/Andrew Jones

The council says that the access restrictions have been successful in reducing the number of cars travelling through the area to reach destinations outside Grove Park and many living in the area support them. Other local residents say that people living in the area, who have no alternative to using a car, are having to take huge detours to reach destinations that were just a short hop previously. There have also been numerous complaints about problems with deliveries, access to car and unwillingness of taxis to pick up or drop off in the area. Local residents' associations are arguing that the camera restrictions be replaced with ANPR cameras that only penalise people driving through the area without stopping.

 

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