Council in controversial move to use parking spy cars

The spy camera car

Rochdale Borough Council is to defy the government by deploying a parking spy car even though Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles has announced he will ban the controversial vehicles.

The Council says the use of the spy car is to tackle "inconsiderate, dangerous and often illegal parking outside schools". However, it also admits that "it may be used to tackle hotspot restrictions which are difficult to enforce, such as bus stops, taxi ranks and where a loading restriction is in place." Contraventions captured by the spy camera car will result in a £70 penalty charge being issued.

Mr Pickles said: "CCTV spy cars are just an excuse for councils to raise money from issuing parking fines on an industrial scale.

"They undermine natural justice, as car owners receive the fine weeks later in the post making it extremely hard to challenge on appeal. This is why the government has published proposals to ban CCTV being used for parking purposes.

"It's okay for local authorities to say 'oh, it's all to save the children'. No it isn't. What this is about is raking in pretty large sums of money to fill the councils' coffers.

"We are going to rein in the town hall parking bullies."

Civil liberties campaigners called for a "serious debate" about what they said was the UK's "uniquely high level of CCTV surveillance".

"Councils should be transparent with residents about how many tickets are being issued with CCTV and how many criminals are being convicted," said Nick Pickles from the Big Brother Watch group.

"That way residents can decide for themselves if they really are better off with the cameras watching them."

The spy car will be deployed on the streets of the borough from April.