Drivers in the UK are paying local councils more than £1bn a year to park their vehicles, Freedom of Information requests have revealed. 
Requests to 226 public authorities revealed the council with the highest takings from parking was Westminster.

Researchers found that Conservative-run councils rake in far more from parking charges than town halls under Labour.

According to research published by the opposition, households in London are spending more than £600 a year on residents’ permits, meters and fines.

Eric Pickles, the Communities Secretary, has vowed to expose what he calls a ”great council cash-cow cover-up” by forcing authorities to publish parking revenue.

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I am a journalist and author. I am a journalist at the UK edition of WIRED magazine. In 2015, my first book Freedom of Information: A Practical Guide for UK Journalists, was published. My second book Reed Hastings: Building Netflix, was published in March 2020. I created FOI Directory in 2012 and have maintained it in my spare time ever since.