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Anger over speed camera cash revelation
11 July 2007 | 07:05
ANNIE DAVIDSON
ALMOST £500,000 of money raised by fining speeding motorists in Essex in one year went straight back to central Government, it has been revealed.
West Chelmsford MP Simon Burns, who was given the statistics in the Houses of Parliament, last night labelled the situation “wrong” and said all the cash should go directly towards improving road safety in the county.
The figures showed that £4.7 million was raised by fining speeding motorists and those who jumped red lights in Essex from 2005-06.
After the Essex Safety Camera Partnership - now renamed Driving Casualties Down - had invested money on improving and maintaining the cameras a surplus of £475,670 was given to the Government for central funds.
The figure was a massive increase on the previous year when just £87,887 was given to the Government from a total income of £4.7 million.
Mr Burns said yesterday: “I believe this is wrong and that all money raised from speeding fines should be directly reinvested in traffic safety measures in the county, rather than going back into the Government as general revenue.
“The last figures show almost £500,000 went into the consolidated fund of the treasury for general spending by the Government.
“That shouldn't be happening, if they are going to make that sort of money it should be reinvested in minimising danger areas and putting in improvements, not just given back to the Government.”
He added: “My general view on speed cameras is that many of them are simply used as a revenue raising mechanism.
“It is no problem, as any sensible person would agree, if the cameras were put in areas of unsafe roads to slow down people's driving so as to minimise the chances of accidents.
“I just feel it has got out of hand since the treasury was allowed to keep the money. It is a revenue raising exercise as well as a road safety exercise which does rather dilute the whole thing.”
Norman Hume, cabinet member for Highways and Transportation at Essex County Council, said: “With regard to questions raised in the House of Commons by West Chelmsford MP Simon Burns, Essex County Council no longer operate under the Cost Recovery System covered by his enquiries.
“This was where the running costs of the safety camera partnership would get money more or less directly back from the money raised by safety cameras.
“Instead the government have now introduced a system of grants to be given to specific schemes, which Safety Camera Partnerships apply for.
“These could include, for example, the targeting of drink driving or other driver behaviour such as using mobile phones behind the wheel.
“Apart from in 2004-5, the fine revenue generated by safety cameras has been on a downward trend, the slight upward movement in that year being due to static safety cameras being placed at temporary road works.
“The government allocate the funding raised from safety cameras across the UK and it is for them to account for the way that revenue is spent.
“However, Essex is benefiting from the new grant system allowing us to save more lives on our roads.”
A spokesman for the Department of Transport said the Government was “heavily committed” to road safety including running drink driving campaigns and allocating money to the Highways Agency to maintain and improve roads.
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Totally arm's length on the speed cameras then. We're winning folks...
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