Multi-million pound loss from parking in Richmond due to pandemic

By The Editor 6th Sep 2020

Richmond Council estimates it has lost nearly £6 million in income from parking fees and fines due to the coronavirus pandemic.

At a meeting of the Transport and Air Quality Committee, officers said the impact of the pandemic was thought to have reduced parking income by £5.758 million against a budgeted total income of £16.2 million.

Overall, the transport committee estimates to have lost £6.137 million, with the remaining reduction in income caused by a lower level of fees received for network management, such as event income related to Twickenham Rugby Stadium, and inspection and enforcement.

Presenting the report, director of environment and community services Paul Chadwick said: "Stepping away from Covid, the budget situation is OK.

"We're about £200,000 overspent at this stage in the year, and that's not a bad position to be in. However, of course it doesn't ignore Covid.

"The biggest single issue for this committee is that we ceased or paused our parking attendant activity early on in the pandemic and of course alongside that anyway there was a massive reduction in the use of the car driven by covid.

"At this stage the report is showing the impact on our income will be about £6m.

"That's possibly an over-estimate at this stage. If anything the figure is going to come down.

"But we want to be a little bit cautious of that given that you never know [if] we might enter into another wave of the pandemic."

He also expressed a concern that the government will "not entirely back that income loss".

"We're pretty sure they won't," Mr Chadwick said. "There will be an income deficit after the government has made its contribution towards the council."