2,401 parking tickets in Babergh in Suffolk in 2022/23

Babergh District Council runs 20 car parks totalling 1,580 spaces across the district and, between April 1 2022 and March 31 2023, the most recent data available, some 2,401 penalty charge notices (PCNs) were issued to motorists. 

The income from these tickets came in at £58,957, while the council expenditure, which includes employee costs and is paid to West Suffolk and Ipswich councils, came in at £86,095 meaning a net spend of £27,138 was recorded. 

This is purely the cost of enforcement and doesn’t cover any investment in Babergh car parks or the wider parking strategy.

Station Road Car Park in Sudbury (Image: Google maps)

The year saw 1,308 hours of civil enforcement officer patrol time in 5,234 separate car park patrol visits, 3,040 of which were in Sudbury, 1,722 in Hadleigh, 326 in Chelmondiston and 146 in Lavenham.

Station Road Car Park in Sudbury saw the highest number of PCNs given to drivers, with 747 issued. 

Meanwhile The Station Car Park, North Street Car Park and Girling Street Car Park, all also in Sudbury, saw 365, 261 and 223 PCNs handed out.

North Street Car Park in Sudbury (Image: Google maps)

The Magdalen Road Car Park in Hadleigh recorded 204 PCNs in the year 2022/23. 

Car parks where zero PCNs were issued include Quay Lane in Sudbury and Prentice Street in Lavenham. 

This comes after Babergh District Council announced controversial plans to introduce car parking charges in towns and villages, including Hadleigh, Sudbury and Lavenham, where currently three hours of free parking is available. 

The charges would be introduced in Sudbury, Lavenham and Hadleigh (Image: Sarah Lucy Brown, Newsquest)

The cost of subsidising the free parking cost Babergh District Council about £425,000 last year and it is set to increase this year, the local authority said.

The council, which is facing a budget gap of £1.5million, says it can no longer afford to fund the subsidy if it is to continue to deliver other essential services.

The move has been met with criticism from some community leaders including Paul Clover, who represents Lavenham on Babergh District Council, who said: "said: "I think we can't afford to kill the retail outlets in Sudbury. There's a number of vacant outlets already and it is just going to increase that.

Cllr Paul Clover (Image: Babergh District Council)

"We're not saying that the council hasn't got challenges, and we support them in finding the best solution but something that drives down business and attractiveness for retail owners and customers alike is just completely inappropriate." 

And Cllr Kathryn Grandon, who represents Hadleigh South on the council, said: "Hadleigh, Sudbury and Lavenham do not have problems with air pollution or congestion from cars; we want to encourage locals and visitors to come to our towns and villages, to linger and enjoy our shops, hospitality and facilities."

A Babergh District Council spokesperson said: “We have a statutory duty to carry out civil parking enforcement but, contrary to what many motorists may believe, it costs us more to enforce parking than we make out of penalty charge notices issued. 

“The proposal to change our existing parking charges is not about trying to generate income from fines.  It’s about motorists paying a modest amount to park, so that we can use the money that is currently being spent subsidising ‘free’ parking to invest in our car parks and encourage more sustainable travel.

“It would also mean we could afford more frequent visits by enforcement officers to our car parks, making them safer places to park, and increased patrols for surrounding streets – something we know many residents are keen to see.”