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New research has exposed many Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) as little more than a cash cow for many local councils.
According to new Freedom of Information data obtained by Confused.com, in 2018 the total income made by councils from fines reached more than £326m from nine million PCNs.
The PCNs included fines for offences such as parking, or misusing a bus lanebox junction, or turning left/right illegally.
Most common Penalty Charge Notice offences
| Penalty Charge Notice offence | % of PCNs issued |
| Parking offence | 51% |
| Bus lane offence | 21% |
| Box junction offence | 11% |
| Turning left/right at a no-turn junction | 5% |
| Other | 12% |
Two fifths (42%) of motorists think councils treat drivers as cash cows, with Westminster City Council pocketing the most from PCN fines in 2018 (£16,555,556).
However, the research found that not all drivers think fines are issued fairly, and there is evidence of this in the fact that most appeals were successful.
Almost half (48%) of UK drivers have received a PCN. Of these, two in five (40%) argued their case, with most (74%) resulting in paying a reduced fine, or nothing at all. This may go to show that not all fines are issued fairly, and drivers being asked to pay fines they may not be accountable for.
Drivers gave several reasons for refuting their PCN, with most (29%) blaming unclear or confusing signage for the mishap.
Top five councils which issued the highest number of PCNs
| Council | Region | 2018 |
| Manchester City Council | North West | 598,060 |
| Westminster City Council | London | 313,012 |
| City of London Corporation | London | 280,059 |
| London Borough of Islington | London | 255,833 |
| London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham | London | 238,615 |
Top five councils with the highest income from PCNs
| Council | Region | 2018 |
| Westminster City Council | London | £16,555,556 |
| London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham | London | £13,074,178 |
| London Borough of Islington | London | £12,947,391 |
| London Borough of Newham | London | £12,336,226 |
| Manchester City Council | North West | £12,245,083 |
Two in three (60%) drivers who received a PCN didn’t challenge the fine, with one in eight (13%) of these put off by confusing information online about how to appeal. A further one in six (17%) also claim they didn’t know how to appeal. And this is echoed in the fact that one in five (17%) of those who did challenge their fine found the process difficult, or confusing (8%).
Confused.com has launched a checklist to make it clear to drivers how to decide if they should challenge unfair fines, as the confusing appeal process appears to put them off.
