Parking fines and traffic enforcement are generating millions of pounds for the county council, including a £2.45 million haul from penalty charges.

Hampshire County Council collected the amount from parking fines during 2024/25, alongside an additional £438,000 from moving traffic offence fines.

Despite total parking-related income reaching £5.47 million – including permit costs – the service ended the year in deficit due to high operating costs.

A spokesman for Hampshire County Council said: “There are significant costs associated with running our on-street parking areas and enforcement, including maintenance, staffing, technology and equipment.

“The figures, which we publish annually, show the income in 2024/25 was reinvested directly into meeting these operational costs, with any remaining balance used for essential equipment and infrastructure.”

Spending totalled £5.29 million, leaving a surplus of £188,122 before one-off costs were included.

However, a further £308,021 spent on new traffic enforcement equipment pushed the parking account into an overall deficit of around £120,000.

The bulk of expenditure was attributed to staffing and contract costs, which exceeded £3.6 million.

Maintenance accounted for a further £1.5 million, with other costs including payment collection and parking infrastructure.

The council issued more than 76,000 on-street penalty charge notices during the year.

More than 4,000 were subsequently cancelled for discretionary or administrative reasons.

Of the income generated, none could be redirected to support broader transport improvements due to the lack of a year-end surplus.

Under the Traffic Management Act 2004, parking income must be used to cover enforcement and transport-related expenses, rather than general council services.

In cases where a surplus is generated, it must be spent on initiatives like road safety, traffic management, or public transport.

The council spokesman said: “Under these circumstances, all funds collected were retained within the parking service to ensure it continues to operate safely and effectively for residents and visitors.

“Further details about how the service is operated can be found on our website.”