I AM writing in response to the headline in last Friday’s paper which suggested that the council is treating motorists as ‘cash cows’ by issuing penalty charge notices.

It is correct to say that in 2014 just over 10,000 penalty charge notices were issued to vehicles which were in contravention of parking restrictions in council car parks and on the highway but this figure needs to be put into context.

In the same period the number of parking tickets purchased in council car parks alone totalled nearly two million.

This equates to an average of 6,500 vehicles parked each day during charging hours with a corresponding average of 24 penalty charge notices issued for parking contraventions.

This is significantly less than one per cent.

It may also be worth noting that the council’s parking enforcement officers allow a ten-minute grace period for motorists to return to their vehicles and have always done so.

I would reiterate that the council does not make a profit from issuing penalty charge notices. The cost of enforcement exceeds the income received from them. The aim of parking enforcement is not to generate money but to ensure the fair and safe use of car parks and roads around the borough. This is to the benefit, not the detriment, of motorists and residents.

Councillor Ian Carr, leader of Test Valley Borough Council