Reading Borough Council is 'incompetent' in fines blunder

Recently, the council has admitted that more than 6,000 fines issued for parking infractions were wrongly served because of a legal error in the creation of traffic regulation orders (TROs) that govern the rules of the road.

In total  6,316 fines -known as penalty charge notices (PCNs)- were issued in error.

Of those, around 150 people were wrongly prosecuted in a debt recovery process.

Now the council administration has been blasted by opposition councillors for the error, with the Labour administration accused of being 'obsessed' with anti-car policies.

Councillor Raj Singh (Conservative, Kentwood), who's he group leader for his party on the council said: "This is yet another example of incompetence under the Labour administration in Reading.

"Thousands of fines were issued based on faulty traffic regulation orders, and it took a staff member, rather than the leadership, to uncover this costly mistake.

Raj Singh, the Conservative parliamentary candidate for the Reading Central seat, and a borough councillor for Kentwood ward. Credit: Raj Singh, Reading Central Conservatives

"The failure to get basic legal procedures right has resulted in wasted public money and inconvenience for residents.

"This is unacceptable, and the Labour leadership which is obsessed with red routes and bus lanes and anti-car policies must take full responsibility for this mismanagement and ensure it never happens again."

Meanwhile, cllr Dave McElroy (Green, Redlands), from the leading opposition party on the council, expressed fears about the financial implications of the blunder.

Cllr McElroy said: "I was shocked and disappointed to learn that the Labour-run council had issued a massive 6000 parking tickets without the correct legal documentation in place.

"The council is now going to have to find hundreds of thousands of pounds to repay these fines at a time when councils are already on the brink of bankruptcy.

Dave McElroy, launching his campaign as a Green candidate for the Reading Central constituency. Credit: Reading Green Party

"This money is on top of the extra legal costs and other work to put this right that the council will have incurred. I wouldn’t be surprised if the total costs were well over £0.5 million.

"Some people will have had the stress of bailiffs turning up on the doorstep because they haven't paid one of these incorrectly issued parking tickets.

"That this has gone on for so long brings into question the culture at the council under the Labour administration.

"Green councillors will keep up the pressure to make sure this is put right, to change the culture at the council so people aren't afraid to speak out and to lobby for proper levels of funding for councils so they can provide decent services."

The council is due to set up a webpage to process repayments, which in most cases must be requested.

Those who faced debt recovery will be written to and invited to claim.

A repayment scheme must be approved at a full council meeting on Tuesday, October 15, with the scheme website due to go live on Wednesday, October 16.

It has been a difficult year for the council legally, as a TRO allowing motorbikes to use the new inbound London Road bus lane was only resolved on Friday, September 13, around four weeks after the bus lane went live.

Furthermore, the administration's desired legal challenge against a project to replace the Reading Station Shopping Park with 1,000 flats and new facilities had to be withdrawn due to a procedural error.