| Figures released by the Scottish Government show that revenue from parking offences in the city rose for the second year running to £900,000 — an increase of 28%.
Of the 30,520 notices issued in 2006/07, 9% were written off or cancelled, while 15% remain unpaid.
That figure represents an improvement for the council on the previous year, when 28% of those issued were unpaid at the time of the report’s publication.
A spokesman for Dundee City Council said the main reason for the improvement in statistics for balances outstanding is “due to increased involvement from sheriff officers in the recovery of outstanding debt due to the council”.
Neighbouring Perth and Kinross saw a downturn in tickets issued for the second year running.
Some 9933 penalty notices were slapped onto windscreens in 2006/07, compared with 10,712 in 2005/06. However, revenue generated from the reduced number of tickets remained steady at £300,000.
Perth and Kinross retained its record of pursuing fine-dodgers with only 7% of penalties issued remaining unpaid, the lowest number of all the documented authorities. The council also impounded seven vehicles.
The figures for Dundee and Perth and Kinross councils were, however, dwarfed by those of Edinburgh and Glasgow, who drew in £10.8 million over the same period, a figure which represents 79% of the total generated Scotland-wide.
In addition, over six thousand vehicles were impounded in Scotland’s two biggest cities. The figures were included in the Government’s annual report on criminal proceedings in Scottish courts.
The report shows the number of people facing court proceedings rose by 5% in 2006/07, to 153,900, and from these proceedings, 138,800 convictions were secured.
The number of people jailed also rose to 18,200, an increase of 9% on the previous year and the highest figure in a decade.
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill blasted the previous Labour Government’s record on crime and spoke of the SNP’s commitment to community penalties as an alternative to prison saying, “These figures are a stark reminder of the problems we have inherited. Our prisons are full.
“That is why our action plan on community penalties is being taken forward as a matter of urgency and will allow courts to use them with confidence in a wider range of cases in future.
“We are driving forward the reforms to the summary justice system.
“We want to develop a summary justice system that is fair, effective, efficient, quick and simple.” |
