Making it London's sixth highest revenue raising council
Hammersmith and Fulham raised over £18 million pounds in the last five years in parking and traffic fines, making it one of the top highest revenue-raising councils in London.
The figures were obtained under the Freedom Of Information Act, by the group Big Brother Watch(pdf) who revealed that between 2008 and 2013, councils across the UK raised more than £300m.
In a report based on the information called Traffic Spies, they say the number of CCTV cars in operation has soared by 87% since 2009, despite a new code of practice saying CCTV should be used only sparingly for traffic offences.
Hammersmith and Fulham was the sixth highest earning council in London, taking in £18,526,797.
The top earner was Camden, with a total of £36,328,321 followed by Ealing, Lambeth, Westminster and Harrow.
Conservative MP Nick de Bois wrote: ''I welcome this research by Big Brother Watch, which highlights that despite this guidance and additional oversight, local authorities are continuing to use CCTV cameras for means other than public safety.
'' This research highlights the £312m in revenue that has been raised by local authorities across the country by issuing fixed penalty notices, making it clear that many hard-pressed drivers are unfairly being hit with arbitrary fines.
''It is important that the public can have faith that CCTV is being used only in those situations where public safety is at risk and there are no less intrusive alternative routes of investigation. That is why it is important to scrutinise when local authorities are using CCTV cameras without it being necessary and proportionate, and I welcome Big Brother Watch’s continuing scrutiny and challenge in the use of surveillance tools.''
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