Thank you for your request received by us on 5 November 2020 asking for information about individual Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) issued by councils for various road contraventions.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.  I can confirm that we hold some of the information you require. You asked for:

the raw dataset of individual penalty charge notices (PCNs) issued in the name of the council or within the council area for the most recent 36 month period available.

Please include Off Street, On Street, Bus Lane and Moving Traffic data, plus any other types of penalty charges related to driving, stopping or parking within your area.

I would like details of each individual Penalty issued, but I do not want any personally identifying information.

In that dataset I would like fields that allow me to identify:

1. Location:
a. Street or Road
b. Junction with Street or Road (If applicable)
c. Postcode Area (If available, e.g. CM8 or B13)
2. Contravention:
a. Contravention Code
b. Contravention Description
c. Ticket Type (Off Street / On Street / Bus Lane / Moving Traffic / Named Other)
3. Date Issued
4. Time Issued (If available)
5. Amount of Fine
a. Amount of Fine Issued
b. Amount of Fine Paid (including discount for early payment).
6. Precise Location (If available):
a. Full Postcode
b. Longitude/Latitude
c. Easting/Northing
7. Status of case (if available)
Paid / Withdrawn / Cancelled / Appeal Won / Outstanding etc
8. Reason for cancellation or withdrawal (if available)

Data Extent & Format

Please provide 36 months of data up to the latest month available (preferably up to and including October 2020 or later month if you are delayed in responding to this request). If you are unable to provide 36 months data then please provide the latest 24 months data.

Please provide data by electronic means, preferably in comma-separated value files (CSV files) or if necessary Excel files.

As an example of the data I seek, please take a look at the data provided as part of their open data policy by Camden Council. You can see that dataset here: https://opendata.camden.gov.uk/Transport/Parking-Services-Penalty-Charge-Notices-Current-Fi/4k7m-4gkk

If you do not have this information then:

• Please tell me that you do not have it.
• Please tell me when you plan to collate it.
• If you do not plan to collate it then please tell me that.

Information Held By Another Public Body

If any of this information is held by another public body, please let me know this and who I should contact to obtain it.

I can advise that the London Councils organisation, which represents all of the capital’s boroughs as well as the City of London, publishes information about PCNs issued by each local authority. Although specific locations are not referenced, PCN statistics are provided under each council for the previous financial year via the following link to their website: https://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/services/parking-services/parking-and-traffic/parking-information-professionals/information

However, in accordance with the FOI Act, we are not obliged to supply the information requested about the locations of PCNs issued by TfL as it is subject to a statutory exemption to the right of access to information under section 31 of the FOI Act, which relates to law enforcement. Specifically, we are refusing your request under section 31(1)(b), which relates to information whose disclosure would be likely to prejudice the apprehension or prosecution of offenders, and section 31(1)(g) concerning information whose disclosure would be likely to prejudice the exercise by any public authority of its functions or any of the purposes listed in subsection 31(2) of the FOI Act. In this case, this is section 31(2)(a) – the purpose of ascertaining whether any person has failed to comply with the law.

The release of the requested data would reveal the locations which we prioritise for enforcement activity and could therefore enable drivers to conclude that other locations are less likely to be enforced, which would let those who drive in restricted areas avoid penalty charges for doing so. Disclosure of this information to you has to be regarded as a disclosure to ‘the public at large’.

The use of this exemption is subject to an assessment of the public interest in relation to the disclosure of the information concerned. We recognise the need for openness and transparency by public authorities, but in this instance feel that balance lies in favour of withholding the information to ensure that we are able to manage traffic on the TfL Road Network. It would be strongly against the public interest to release any information that would undermine this. We consider that the release of this information would lead to increased traffic problems as some motorists may seek to take advantage of the information by using for example, bus lanes in areas that we do not currently enforce and therefore delaying bus services. In a wider context, disclosing information which reveals the number of PCNs at a location would be likely to lead to a decrease in compliance with traffic restrictions at those locations, which would adversely affect the flow of traffic on the network and impact on TfL’s Network Management Duty. This would lead to a need to increase enforcement at those locations, which would mean increasing enforcement expenditure which would need to be paid for from public funds.  It would not be in the public interest to limit TfL’s ability to make the most efficient use of its limited funds in this manner.

The use of this exemption is subject to an assessment of the public interest in relation to the disclosure of the information concerned. We recognise the need for openness and transparency by public authorities, but in this instance feel that balance lies in favour of withholding the information to ensure that we are able to continue to comply with our Network Management Duty while making the best use of public funds.

If you are considering submitting a further FOI request please think carefully about whether the request is essential at this current time, as answering FOI requests will require the use of limited resources and the attention of staff who could be supporting other essential activity. Where requests are made, please note that our response time may be impacted by the current situation.

If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.

Yours sincerely

Jasmine Howard
FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London