Richmond’s Liberal Democrat council has once again found itself highlighted in the national press for the way it uses enforcement powers.
The Telegraph recently named Richmond among “The 10 Left-wing councils behind a third of yellow-line fines”, after figures obtained by the AA showed that more than half a million penalties were issued by just ten councils. Seven were Labour-run, with Lib Dem Richmond among the other three.
Over-zealous enforcement
On its own, parking enforcement is not unusual. Councils have a legitimate responsibility to keep roads safe and traffic moving. But Richmond’s record increasingly points to a broader culture of over-zealous enforcement.
The Department for Transport itself told The Telegraph that penalty charges should be fair and used to encourage motorists to park correctly, “not to catch them out.”
A pattern emerging
That distinction matters in Richmond.
In recent months, the council has attracted national attention after newlyweds were fined £150 for putting their rubbish out early before leaving for their honeymoon, while another resident was fined £150 for pouring away the remains of a coffee before catching a bus. A subsequent Telegraph investigation reported concerns that “law-abiding people are being targeted for minor infringements” while more serious offenders go unpunished.
Taken together, a pattern begins to emerge. More fines, more enforcement officers and an increasingly intrusive approach to relatively minor behaviour sit rather naturally with the Left-wing, interventionist style of local government that the national press has now associated with Richmond.
Is this really liberal?
That sits uneasily with the Liberal Democrats’ claim to be a moderate, liberal party. Small-l liberalism traditionally places value on personal freedom and restraint in the use of state power. Richmond’s approach increasingly looks rather different.
Richmond Conservatives support proper enforcement where people cause genuine danger, obstruction, fly-tipping or anti-social behaviour. But residents should expect proportionate enforcement, not a council culture that seems increasingly geared towards catching them out.
To read the full article in The Telegraph [paywall], Click Here.
