# Fines and penalties, and where the money goes url: https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/fines-and-penalties/ updated: 29 September 2026 licence: Our words, analysis, charts and derived calculations: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), credit [Tekstak Ltd](https://tek-stak.co.uk). Figures: each source's own licence, listed under Sources. publisher: [Tekstak Ltd](https://tek-stak.co.uk) # Fines and penalties, and where the money goes Last updated 29 September 2026. Figures refresh every night. [How each figure is worked out](/methodology/). It depends on the fine, and the law is specific. **Police fixed penalties, including speeding, go to the Treasury's Consolidated Fund**, not to the police or the council. Court fines and HMRC penalties go there too. **Council parking and traffic penalties are kept by the council but ring-fenced**: a surplus can only be spent on transport, highways and similar purposes, and English councils made a parking surplus of £1.4bn in 2025–26. Congestion, ULEZ and Clean Air Zone money must be spent on local transport. Figure as of 22 September 2026. Source: [legislation.gov.uk](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/), [Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing-england-revenue-outturn-multi-year-data-set). ## Key figures - £1,433.4mEnglish councils' parking surplus ▲ 2025–26 - £3.0bnHMRC fines and penalties revenue ▲ 2025–26 - £229mCourt fines collected, England and Wales ▲ 2025–26 - 4,375,421Motoring offences dealt with by police, England and Wales ▲ As of 1 January 2024 Sources: [Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing-england-revenue-outturn-multi-year-data-set), [HM Revenue and Customs](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a4f66c406e7256c331df8a2/HMRC_annual_report_and_accounts_2025_to_2026.pdf), [HM Courts and Tribunals Service](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a96e8c5df4246cf45e46755/HMCTS1021_Trust_Statement_2026_v10a_Corrected_RGB.pdf), [Home Office](https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales). ## How much do fines and penalties bring in? £1,433.4m English councils' parking surplus, 2025–26 ▲ Figures for the 2025–26 financial year. Source: [Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing-england-revenue-outturn-multi-year-data-set). £3.0bn HMRC fines and penalties revenue ▲ Figures for the 2025–26 financial year. Source: [HM Revenue and Customs](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a4f66c406e7256c331df8a2/HMRC_annual_report_and_accounts_2025_to_2026.pdf). Checked by hand 22 September 2026. £229m Court fines collected, England and Wales ▲ Figures for the 2025–26 financial year. Source: [HM Courts and Tribunals Service](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a96e8c5df4246cf45e46755/HMCTS1021_Trust_Statement_2026_v10a_Corrected_RGB.pdf). Checked by hand 22 September 2026. 4,375,421 Motoring offences dealt with by police, England and Wales ▲ Figure as of 1 January 2024. Source: [Home Office](https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales). These are not additive. The parking figure is income less spending; HMRC's is penalties recognised in its accounts, some never collected; court fines are cash collected in the year, whenever imposed; the motoring figure is a count of offences, most of them dealt with by a course rather than a fine. ## Where does each pound legally go? Public money is routed in one of four ways. Into the **Consolidated Fund**, the government's general account, to be spent on anything Parliament votes for. Kept by the collecting body but **ring-fenced** by law to particular purposes. **Kept** by the body that collects it, to cover its costs. Or **paid to a named body**. Private charges, like private parking tickets and the M6 Toll, are not public money at all. Where the money from each charge legally goes - Police fixed penalties, including camera-detected speeding (England and Wales) Because of[Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988, s82(1), applying Courts Act 2003, s38(4)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/53/section/82) Consolidated Fund (general Treasury funds): the Consolidated Fund. Not police forces or councils. - Fines, fixed penalties and forfeitures in Scotland Because of[Scotland Act 1998 (Designation of Receipts) (Amendment) Order 2017](https://www.gov.scot/publications/fiscal-framework-outturn-report-2025/pages/5/) Consolidated Fund (general Treasury funds): the Scottish Consolidated Fund, with a matching reduction in UK funding for the Scottish Government. - Speed awareness and other driver retraining course fees Because of[Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988, s90G, inserted by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, s89 (in force 26 October 2022)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2022/32/section/89) Kept by the body that collects it: the police and the course provider, to cover the course and its administration. Any excess must be spent on road safety. - On-street parking charges and all council parking penalty charges (England and Wales) Because of[Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, s55, as applied in England by SI 2022/71, regs 25 and 27](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1984/27/section/55) Ring-fenced by law: a ring-fenced parking account. A surplus may only be spent on parking, public transport, highway and environmental improvements and similar purposes; a deficit is made good from the general fund. - Council car park (off-street) tariffs Because of[Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, s55(1), and DfT statutory guidance on civil parking enforcement](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-enforcement-of-parking-contraventions/guidance-for-local-authorities-on-enforcing-parking-restrictions) Kept by the body that collects it: the council's general fund. Section 55 covers on-street parking and enforcement income, not car park fees. Not verified - Bus lane and moving traffic penalty charges, councils outside London Because of[Civil Enforcement of Road Traffic Contraventions (Approved Devices, Charging Guidelines and General Provisions) (England) Regulations 2022, regs 28, 29 and 31](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2022/71/regulation/31) Ring-fenced by law: separate accounts whose surplus may only go on public transport, highway or environmental improvement, or repaying general fund deficits. - Council parking penalty charges in Scotland Because of[Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, s55, as described by Transport Scotland](https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/decriminalised-parking-enforcement-dpe-report-2024-2025/penalty-charges/) Ring-fenced by law: a parking account whose surplus is limited to transport-related purposes, as Transport Scotland describes it. Not verified - London Congestion Charge and Ultra Low Emission Zone Because of[Greater London Authority Act 1999, Schedule 23, paragraph 16](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1999/29/schedule/23/paragraph/16) Ring-fenced by law: Transport for London, to be spent on transport under the Mayor's Transport Strategy. - Clean Air Zone charges and penalties, and the workplace parking levy (England) Because of[Transport Act 2000, Schedule 12, paragraph 8(2)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/38/schedule/12) Ring-fenced by law: the council, and only for its local transport policies. - Low Emission Zone penalties in Scotland Because of[Transport (Scotland) Act 2019, section 27](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2019/17/section/27) Ring-fenced by law: the council, only to further the zone's objectives, then to repay grants. - Dart Charge (Dartford Crossing) Because of[Transport Act 2000, Schedule 12, paragraph 13](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/38/schedule/12) Paid to a named body: the Department for Transport, which counts it against its overall transport spending. It is not tied to the crossing or any other project. - Local bridge tolls (Mersey Gateway, Tamar) Because ofLocal charging orders and bridge Acts Kept by the body that collects it: the bridge authority, to pay for building, running and maintaining the crossing. Not verified - M6 Toll and private parking charges Because of[Private concession (M6 Toll); contract law and the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 (private parking)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2019/8/section/5) Private money, not public: private companies. Not public money. - HMRC penalties and late payment interest Because of[Exchequer and Audit Departments Act 1921, s2](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo5/11-12/52/section/2) Consolidated Fund (general Treasury funds): the Consolidated Fund, through the HMRC Trust Statement. Penalties relating to National Insurance go to the National Insurance Fund. - Court fines (England and Wales) Because of[Courts Act 2003, s38; Sentencing Act 2020, s132(6) for Crown Court fines](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/39/section/38) Consolidated Fund (general Treasury funds): the Consolidated Fund by law. In practice the Ministry of Justice keeps most of what it collects as part of its spending settlement. - Victim surcharge Because of[Sentencing Act 2020, s42](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2020/17/section/42) Paid to a named body: the Ministry of Justice, to fund victims' services. Checked 22 September 2026. Source: [legislation.gov.uk](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/). Checked by hand 22 September 2026. ## Where can you read about each kind of fine? - [Speeding and other motoring fines](/speeding-fines/)4,375,421 offences a year, most dealt with by a course; fines go to the Treasury. - [Parking and traffic penalties](/parking-fines-and-council-parking-income/)Penalty levels, council surpluses council by council, and the ring-fence. - [ULEZ, Clean Air Zones, the Congestion Charge and tolls](/clean-air-zones-and-road-charges/)The Congestion Charge is £18 a day. - [HMRC penalties and interest](/hmrc-penalties-and-interest/)Late filing and late payment, the new points system, and what is collected. - [Court fines](/court-fines/)Imposed, collected and outstanding, and the victim surcharge. ## Are fines about safety or revenue? ### The case that they are about compliance - Speeding and court fines go to the Treasury, so the police and courts that impose them do not keep the money. - Council parking surpluses are ring-fenced by law to transport and highways. - Statutory guidance says raising revenue should not be an objective of parking enforcement. - Most people caught speeding are offered a course rather than a fine. ### The case that revenue matters - Councils forecast parking income in their budgets and surpluses have grown faster than inflation. - Course fees can now exceed their cost, as long as the excess goes on road safety. - Ring-fenced money can replace spending councils would otherwise have funded from elsewhere. - A large share of penalties are cancelled or never collected, which suggests volume over precision. ## Common questions Do the police keep speeding fine money? No. Under section 82 of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 and section 38 of the Courts Act 2003, fixed penalty receipts are paid into the Consolidated Fund. The police keep a share of speed awareness course fees, which must cover costs, with any excess spent on road safety.Can councils spend parking fine money on anything? No. Section 55 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 limits a surplus on the on-street parking account, which includes all penalty charge income, to purposes such as parking, public transport, highway and environmental improvements. ## Use this data The figures belong to the bodies that published them and are used under their terms, listed in [Sources for this page](#sources); most are Crown copyright under the Open Government Licence. Only our own words, analysis, charts and derived calculations are ours, published under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/): reuse them, including commercially, if you credit [Tekstak Ltd](https://tek-stak.co.uk) and link back to this page. ### Download - [Council parking surplus, England (CSV)](/data/parking-surplus-england.csv) [JSON](/data/parking-surplus-england.json) Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: [Open Government Licence v3.0](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/) - [All data, field definitions and licences](/data/) ## Sources for this page | Source | Publisher | Figures as of | Updated | Licence | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [legislation.gov.uk and official guidance, provision by provision](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/) | legislation.gov.uk | 22 September 2026 | annual | [Open Government Licence v3.0 (legislation.gov.uk)](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/) | | [Local authority revenue expenditure and financing: revenue outturn multi-year data set (RO2 parking)](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing-england-revenue-outturn-multi-year-data-set) | Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | the 2025–26 financial year | annual | [Open Government Licence v3.0](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/) | | [HMRC annual report and accounts 2025 to 2026](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a4f66c406e7256c331df8a2/HMRC_annual_report_and_accounts_2025_to_2026.pdf) | HM Revenue and Customs | 22 September 2026 | annual | [Open Government Licence v3.0](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/) | | [HMCTS Trust Statement 2025 to 2026](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a96e8c5df4246cf45e46755/HMCTS1021_Trust_Statement_2026_v10a_Corrected_RGB.pdf) | HM Courts and Tribunals Service | 22 September 2026 | annual | [Open Government Licence v3.0](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/) | | [Police powers and procedures: roads policing (fixed penalty notices for motoring offences)](https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales) | Home Office | 1 January 2024 | annual | [Open Government Licence v3.0](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/) | Each source's figures are used under the licence shown. Our own words, analysis, charts and derived calculations are ours, under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ## Related pages - [Next in this section: Speeding and other motoring fines](https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/speeding-fines/) - [How much do councils make from parking, and what can they spend it on?](https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/parking-fines-and-council-parking-income/) - [How much does the state charge for passports, licences, certificates and other services?](https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/government-fees/) - [What are stealth taxes, and how much do they raise?](https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/stealth-taxes/) ## More from this publisher - [UK tax calculators](https://howlongisit.co.uk) Published by [Tekstak Ltd](https://tek-stak.co.uk). Our words, analysis, charts and derived calculations: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), credit [Tekstak Ltd](https://tek-stak.co.uk). The figures belong to the publishers listed under Sources and are used under their licences. Figures last updated 29 September 2026.