Wolverhampton City Council handed out over 55,000 parking fines in just one year, a Freedom of Information request (FOI) has revealed. The figures obtained by BirminghamLive showed the City Council issued 56,258 Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), commonly known as parking tickets, in 2025 alone.
This represents an increase of 16,612 notices compared to the previous year, when 39,646 fines were given out in Wolverhampton. The rise equates to a 41.9 per cent increase in PCNs between 2024 and 2025.
Looking back over the last six years, this figure is only surpassed by 58,739 PCNs issued in 2021 and 56,269 issued in 2022. In 2023, the number of PCNs dropped to 30,215 before rising to 39,646 in 2024 and then surging to 56,258 in 2025. Up to the end of March this year, the PCN figure stands at 13,704.
What Are Penalty Charge Notices?
According to the Wolverhampton City Council website, PCNs can be issued when traffic or parking regulations are not adhered to. The webpage states: "Penalty Charge Notices (PCN's) are more commonly known as a parking ticket. A Penalty Charge Notice can be served when traffic or parking regulations are not adhered to."
The registered keeper of the vehicle is liable for a Penalty Charge Notice, even if they were not the driver at the time of the contravention. The council's website also notes that a PCN may carry a different charge depending on the type of contravention, adding: "You will receive a fine on the issue of a Penalty Charge Notice for both lower level contraventions and higher level contraventions."
Payment and Reduction Options
According to the Government website, drivers usually have 28 days to pay a PCN, and in some cases the fine can be reduced if paid within 14 days.
Council Response
A City of Wolverhampton Council spokesperson said: "The increase in penalty charge notices (PCNs) issued in 2025 compared to 2024 reflects a return to more typical enforcement levels. This follows an overhaul of our enforcement camera system during 2023/2024 before returning to full strength since 2025.
"The council has also stepped up enforcement of dangerous and obstructive parking, particularly around schools, bus stops and at key junctions to improve public safety, including bringing another mobile enforcement vehicle into use earlier this year.
"We continue to review enforcement locations and methods regularly and will keep working to balance traffic flow, public safety and access for residents, businesses and public transport across the city. Legislation means any income from PCNs must be used to cover highways enforcement costs and improvements."
