Drivers face a hike of up to 75 per cent in parking fines which would see them treated more harshly than shoplifters.

In a major blow for millions of hard-pressed motorists, ministers admit they are reviewing the cap on tickets issued by town halls in England and Wales.

And last night the Department for Transport (DfT) refused to rule out increasing fines from £70 to more than £120 for local authorities outside London. The move is backed by the parking industry and cash-strapped councils.

The Tories accused Labour of declaring war on drivers, while campaigners raised fears of a ‘behind-closed-doors’ stitch-up to allow councils to balance their books off the backs of motorists.

Kevin Hollinrake, the Conservatives’ local government spokesman, said: ‘Labour’s war on motorists continues.

‘This Labour Government has been caught red-handed trying to whack up parking charges for millions of motorists, with fines larger than those for some shoplifters. It’s the latest slap in the face of our working people, who are already feeling the pinch thanks to Rachel Reeves‘ jobs tax.

‘We have exposed Labour’s attempts to sneak this in via the back door and will fight the Government to protect drivers at every step.’

Drivers face a hike of up to 75 per cent in parking fines which would see them treated more harshly than shoplifters (File image)

AA president Edmund King said: ‘Drivers have become the go-to for local authorities to source more funding: environmental charges, workplace parking levies, congestion charges, hikes in residents parking permit costs and fines. Now, we have the crazy situation where a parking fine may exceed the fine for shoplifting [£90 for lower-level offenders], criminal damage [£90] or being drunk and disorderly [£90].

‘The punishment needs to fit the offence, not the financial needs of councils. That is why the AA and drivers need a say in this process, not a cosy behind-closed-doors arrangement where the ‘parking sector stakeholders’ set the rules.’

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, added: ‘The risk is that cash-strapped councils see fines as a way to help balance their books, which would be unfair and possibly illegal.’ At present, parking tickets issued by councils are capped at £60 or £70 outside of London, depending on the category of fine. Most councils offer drivers a lower fine if they pay it quickly.

But the Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils, and industry body the British Parking Association (BPA) have submitted evidence to the DfT, urging officials to approve an increase.

The LGA has previously suggested it should rise as high as £122 – also backed by the BPA – to bring it into line with inflation, as it has not been raised for more than a decade. This would be a whopping 75 per cent hike. The DfT last night refused to rule this out.

Last night the Department for Transport (DfT) refused to rule out increasing fines from £70 to more than £120 for local authorities outside London

Transport minister Lilian Greenwood admitted in a parliamentary written question this week that the Government was ‘reviewing’ the cap for councils outside of London, where the cap is £110 or £160.

Councils in England and Wales have raked in record amounts from parking fines in recent years. In 2023/24, they collectively banked more than £1 billion in profit, meaning a hike of up to 75 per cent could boost their coffers by hundreds of millions of pounds.

The BPA said: ‘We have been working with the LGA to bring to ministers’ attention that, outside of London,

penalty charge notices are too low and have remained unchanged for over 15 years. They are no longer fit for purpose as a deterrent.’

A DfT spokesman said: ‘No decisions have been made.’