Council to stop towing away cars in Brighton and Hove

Cars will no longer be towed away and impounded if they are parked illegally in Brighton and Hove.

And the car pound is also being scrapped by Brighton and Hove City Council in a move that is expected to save £400,000 a year.

Instead, cars that are causing an obstruction will be towed a short distance away to a legal parking place.

The change of policy has already had a trial run and the council said that, as when cars were impounded, drivers would be able to contact Sussex Police to find out where their car was.

The council said that it would no longer take cars to the pound in Sackville Road, Hove, because it was too harsh on drivers and a waste of taxpayers’ money.

About 900 cars a year are towed away to the car pound where release fees are £105 plus £12 a day storage.

Offending drivers will still have to pay a parking ticket fine but will not be charged extra for having been towed.

The policy change is expected to be agreed by the council’s Transport Committee next Tuesday (5 March).

The committee chairman, Councillor Ian Davey, said: “We’ve always maintained we want to make the parking rules fairer.

“Saving so much money while also scrapping the recovery fee is a win-win for residents and drivers.”

At the same meeting the council is expected to reappoint the contractor NSL to enforce on-street parking rules in Brighton and Hove for a further three years from this summer.

Twelve companies expressed interest in the contact and four were shortlisted.

The council said that the exact contract value was commercially confidential but the new deal would save £400,000 a year including £130,000 from scrapping the car pound and £100,000 in IT costs.

In the past three months the council has paid NSL, formerly part of NCP, a total of £1.15 million.

Scrapping the car pound saves the cost of paying for staff, premises, vehicles and fuel.

The report going to transport committee next Tuesday can be found by clicking here.