Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan has approved a request from the capital’s 33 boroughs to hike the cost of penalty charge notices (PCNs) to £160 in a bid to create more of a deterrent to “anti-social and obstructive parking”.

One of the biggest issues mentioned by people who responded to a London Councils consultation was the amount of parking on pavements that went unpunished, says the Evening Standard.

Higher level charges in “band A” areas – typically inner London or suburban town centres – will increase from £130 to £160, and from £110 to £140 in “band B” areas.

Higher-band penalties apply to contraventions that are considered more serious, such as parking on yellow lines or where an obstruction is caused.

Lower level charges – which tend to be imposed when drivers overstay the amount of time they have paid to park in a car park or in an on-street parking bay – will increase from £80 to £110 in “band A” areas and from £60 to £90 in “band B” areas.

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