WHEN Southampton council chiefs announced they were ending free night-time parking in the city, the reason they gave betrayed the way they view motorists as a source of revenue.

Then transport chief Asa Thorpe said evening parking charges were being introduced because the council was “strapped for cash”.

Today the Daily Echo can reveal the extent to which the city council relies on drivers to fill its coffers – yet it also shows that the new nighttime charges have raised relatively little.

In just 12 months up to July, the city council made £9.2m – £8.2m in charges and more than £1m in fines.

The amount raised over the last year is up on the £7.48m raised in the previous 12 months.

Figures obtained by the Daily Echo through the Freedom of Information Act also reveal 21,814 parking fines were handed out between July 2013 and January 5 this year, raising £492,384, while £545,817 was raised through the 21,184 fines handed out in the six months since.

They reveal the council made £4million between July 2013 until the introduction of the charges on January 5, and £4.2m in the six months since – a rise of just £200,000.

It is thought that much of that extra money has been swallowed up by the cost of the scheme.

The figures have led to warnings to the council to stop using motorists as a cash cow, or risk people simply going elsewhere.

It has also led to fresh calls to scrap the controversial evening parking charges which have made the city council just an extra £200,000 since they were brought in earlier this year.

Opposition councillors and city centre businesses have urged Labour council chiefs to axe the charges, saying they are damaging the city’s night-time economy for little economic benefit.

Labour say the charges were not brought in to raise cash, and have said they will review parking charges across the city centre in the autumn.

Charges for 6pm to 8pm in onstreet parking bays and 6pm to midnight in car parks were introduced earlier this year despite opposition from many city businesses, as reported by the Daily Echo.

When the plans were first proposed last year, former Labour transport chief Asa Thorpe said the charges were being introduced as the council is “strapped for cash”. He added: “We have less money coming from central Government and so we have the choice of cutting services, increasing charges or bringing in new income streams.”

But since last autumn his successor in the role Councillor Jacqui Rayment has said the charges were introduced to “reduce congestion and pollution, encourage more people to use alternative transport and spread the o p e r a t i n g costs of enforcement”.

C o u n c i l s are not legally allowed to raise parking charges to g e n e r a t e funds.

While much of the money raised through charges and fines goes towards maintaining car parks and parking meters, paying traffic wardens’ wages and other costs linked to parking facilities, surplus funds can also go towards roads maintenance.

Businesses in the city’s night-time economy say they have been hit by decreasing trade since the new charges came in.

Alfredo Ndoci, from Scoozi restaurant in Oxford Street, said: “The charges have made it more difficult for restaurants in Oxford Street.

“Lots of people who used to come and have dinner after work don’t come now. I would strongly urge the council to reconsider these charges.”

Amanda Angora, co-owner of Buffalo Bills in Commercial Road, said trade was still strong at certain times of the evening due to theatregoers from The Mayflower, but said it was suffering at others.

She said: “I think the charges are disgusting – of course they brought the charges in to raise money.

“A lot of customers only book after 6pm now, as otherwise they have to feed the meter, and it inconveniences others who book before and have to leave their meals to go out and pay for extra time after 6pm.”

Conservative opposition leader Councillor Royston Smith described the new charge as “unnecessary”, adding: “We said from the beginning that the night-time charges would make very little money but would cause a great deal of grief.

“There’s no question they first intended this to be meant for their budget black hole, but now they’ve changed their tune.

“I know they’re not making as much as they wanted out of the evening parking, they expected it to make a lot more.

“I think people have voted with their feet on this one – people will either not go into the city centre, get a bus or wait until after 8pm.

“It is absolutely damaging the night-time economy and they should think again and take our advice and get rid of the evening charges.”

John O’Connell, director of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: "Drivers are already hit by excessive motoring taxes over and above the costs of road and pollution, so they’ve every right to be angry if they feel they’re being used as a cash cow.

“Some fines are necessary to discourage dangerous and extremely inconvenient parking, but there are too many stories of overzealous wardens who don't show enough common sense.

“This is especially true when councils introduce new restricted zones or times – drivers want to see a little more leniency as they get used to them.”

Paul Watters, head of roads policy at Hampshire-based motoring organisation the AA said: “Cities such as Southampton need to make sure that parking is an income generator for the whole local economy, not just them, and if things get too heavy people may just look elsewhere.

“It has to be viable for the driver. The cost of parking is a big influence on where people go.

“Hit them too hard and they will think twice and maybe go elsewhere.”

Cllr Rayment added: “We are currently carrying out an extensive review of parking in the city, the outcome of which will be discussed with members at the end of August.

“Any decisions that need to be made as a result of the review will happen in the autumn. We are listening to what we’re being told and that will be reflected in any changes made to the service.”

The most fined street in Southampton

Daily Echo: Paying for car parking at Park Walk in Southampton

IT may have just 11 bays – but Park Walk is Southampton’s parking fine hotspot.

A total of 881 drivers were fined for parking in the city centre street, much of which is currently closed off due to the construction of the Arts Complex, between July 2013 and June 2014.

That is nearly 300 more than the nearest street, nearby Sussex Road.

Having watched the comings and goings on Park Walk over the busy lunch-time period, the Daily Echo can certainly vouch for its popularity with motorists.

None of the 11 available bays was free for longer than a few minutes over the course of more than two hours.

There were no parking wardens to be seen, but if one had come along on patrol, they would have been handing out a few fines with at least ten cars parking illegally.

 Some drivers, seeing there were not any free spaces, parked up on the pavement opposite while others parked on double yellow lines.