Four London Councils Pay £39k in Staff Parking Fines From Taxpayer Money, July 19

Four London councils have admitted paying their staff’s parking fines with taxpayer money, spending a combined £39,884 on penalty charge notices and traffic penalties. The councils—Hackney, Lewisham, Wandsworth, and Croydon—simultaneously promoted stricter enforcement against illegal parking, creating a stark contrast between their public stance and private spending. The Telegraph investigation published July 19 reveals the scale of the expenditure and the councils’ justifications for the payments.

How much each council spent on staff fines

Hackney council spent £10,250 on 96 parking and traffic penalties in the past financial year, according to figures obtained by The Telegraph. Lewisham council spent £15,350 settling 40 penalty charge notices given to staff and contractors between May 2024 and December 2025. Wandsworth council paid £10,040 in penalties from January 2023 to March 2026, while Croydon spent £3,244 on parking and vehicle penalties from January 2023 to March 2025.

The councils’ public messaging on parking enforcement

Hackney, run by the Green Party since May 2026, described its parking and enforcement plan as “undoubtedly our strongest yet” while spending taxpayer money on staff fines. Lewisham recently said they were “stepping up our crackdown” on abandoned vehicles. Wandsworth introduced higher London penalty charge notice rates in 2025 to deter “dangerous and inconsiderate parking and driving.” Croydon’s Conservative mayor launched a crackdown on illegally abandoned cars, saying the borough would no longer be seen as “a soft touch.”

How councils justified the payments

Hackney councillor Jacob Cable, cabinet member for climate and transport, told The Telegraph that the £10,000 figure “represents a small fraction of the total PCNs during that period, with 96% of fines paid by drivers personally.” He stated that council drivers are “personally responsible for paying” penalty charge notices incurred during their work. Wandsworth said fines were paid promptly using procurement cards to avoid late payment charges and to recover money if a driver was at fault.

Where the money went

More than half of Hackney’s £10,250 expenditure (£6,060) went to Transport for London, and a third (£3,215) was used to pay fines issued by Waltham Forest enforcement teams. Lewisham paid £2,926.50 across 13 transactions in October and £6,955 in November, including payments of £5,000 and £1,360 described as “ULEZ fines.” The payments highlight how council budgets absorb costs that individual drivers would normally bear themselves.

Final Thoughts

The councils’ spending on staff parking fines contradicts their public messaging on stricter enforcement. Taxpayers are effectively subsidising penalties that staff and contractors incur, while the councils simultaneously campaign for tougher rules on the public. The revelation raises questions about accountability and fair use of public money.

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