New figures requested by the Bedford Borough Conservative Group have shown that the Council’s 2 camera enforcement vans are costing taxpayers a staggering £377 a day. The latest revelation follows news in the Bedfordshire on Sunday in April that the camera vans raked in £303k from motorists in the period December 2010 to March 2013.
The information received by the Council’s Conservative Councillors showed that the vans made a loss of £137,879 in 2013/14 despite issuing 4365 fines to the tune of £118,037. The Council’s Liberal Democrat administration’s assertion that the vans are used primarily for enforcement around schools was also shown to be wide of the mark as only 210 fines were issued for this purpose.
The Conservative Group Leader, Cllr Stephen Moon says the latest figures prove once again that the camera vehicles are trawling for fines day and night in the town centre to make up for their huge losses. He said:
‘Last week I was at the Bedford Amateur Regatta and was shocked to see a camera van prowling the Embankment at 7.30am. It is incredible that the Council is going out of its way to harass visitors to one of Bedford’s major events at a time when they were unloading their equipment for the event.
‘The Liberal Democrats repeat the line that the vehicles are used mainly to patrol outside schools. Most residents would support this but it is simply not the case as just 210 fines were issued for this contravention out of a total of 4365 in 2013/14. By contrast, 2132 fines were issued for loading bans.
‘As it stands the Mayor is asking taxpayers to pay a daily subsidy of £377 to support draconian enforcement at times when it is not necessary. I believe that one of the vehicles should be scrapped and the other should be responding to residents' concerns. Parking enforcement should be designed to meet the needs of Bedford; not the Council’s finances.’