Drivers refunded £50k after parking fees error

Thousands of people have received refunds totalling more than £50,000 after a council wrongly charged for parking because it did not follow the required legal process.

West Northamptonshire Council has refunded people who used its off-street car parks in Northampton town centre during April, after introducing higher parking charges without first carrying out a statutory public consultation.

Figures released following a Freedom of Information request by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) show the authority repaid £50,928 across more than 42,000 parking transactions with the average refund being about £1.20 per transaction.

The council has been contacted for comment on the cost of the refund process.

Most refunds were issued automatically for drivers who paid by card or app, while Blue Badge holders and those who paid in cash were asked to complete an online refund form.

Any Penalty Charge Notices issued in the affected car parks were cancelled and refunded where they had already been paid.

Research by the LDRS estimated that the council lost about £37,000 in parking income after payment machines were covered and parking was made free for five days while the error was addressed.

The council returned to its previous parking charges from 1 May while it completed the required Traffic Regulation Order consultation.

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