Croydon Council is considering employing digital enforcement agents to recover old parking debt, as part of a broader plan to stabilise its finances. The proposal was discussed at the Scrutiny Streets & Environment Sub-Committee meeting on Tuesday, 24 June 2025, where members reviewed the council's stabilisation plan and financial performance.
The council aims to recover out-of-warrant debt, which can be collected for debt up to six years old. These specialised agents would use sophisticated tracing methods to locate individuals with outstanding parking fines. The council has set a target of 10% for aged debt recovery, hoping to recover £0.25 million in the remaining months of the financial year.
This initiative is part of a larger effort to increase parking income by £1 million. Other measures include increasing the price of Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) by 23% on 7 April, from £130 to £160, following a request from London Councils. The council hopes to generate an additional £0.5 million from this increase, despite concerns that drivers may avoid Croydon to avoid the ULEZ charge or be more reluctant to pay the higher fines.
The sub-committee also reviewed the latest Financial Performance Monitoring report, which showed a projected overall overspend of £34.2 million before mitigation. After using various reserves and capitalisation directions, the overspend is reduced to £4.3 million. The council is facing financial challenges due to historic borrowing, debt burden, and increasing service pressures.
The Streets & Environment Sub-Committee also discussed the Climate Action Plan, reviewing the June Cabinet Report ahead of the Cabinet meeting. The council has made progress in several areas, including supporting households through the Croydon Healthy Homes service, planting new trees, and increasing naturalised grass areas. The Climate Action Plan scrutiny June 2025 was developed following the Carbon Neutral Action Plan approved in February 2022.