Clerical error cost council £40k in parking cash

A clerical error cost a Leicestershire council about £40,000 in lost car park revenue, it has been revealed.

Melton Borough Council suspended charges in nine car parks it runs in and around the town in May and covered up payment machines so they could not be used.

The authority has not said what the error was but said it happened while it was implementing new charges.

It said the error had been fixed and charges were set to return from Saturday.

A council spokesperson said: "As soon as the error was identified, we moved swiftly to rectify the situation, proactively highlighting the issue and removing all charges during the three-week notice period and prior to the adoption of the new rates.

"It's estimated the loss of income could be approximately £40,000, but the action taken has ensured residents were not disadvantaged during this period."

An extraordinary council meeting will be held on Thursday to discuss the error.

A motion to be discussed at the meeting said the error had caused "unnecessary confusion" for residents and visitors and placed additional pressure on the authority's budget.

It called on the council to issue a public statement acknowledging the error, explaining the correction, and clarifying istrative responsibility.

The council did not comment on the meeting.

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