FOI request detail

Congestion Charge

Request ID: FOI-2014-1617
Date published: 28 June 2017

You asked

There is very little financial information. All the 2015-16 Annual Report and accounts says for 'Congestion charging' (page 171) is – Income £258.4m, Toll facilities and traffic management £84.4m, Administration, support services and depreciation £5.7m, giving 'Net income from Congestion Charging' of £168.3m. The NAAT has already submitted something to the Committee but we would still like some information if it is available. 1. Has TfL anything on the traffic in the Zone since the Sixth report in 2008? Is this is in the form of a report (albeit an internal one), and if so then can we have a copy of the most recent one? 2. I have the following questions about the latest available figures for the number of vehicles in the zone during charging hours. If the information is in what you give us in answer to (1) above then please ignore these questions. i) number of vehicles which are liable to pay the full charge, ii) number of vehicles in the zone during charging hours which are liable to pay the charge at the discounted rate for residents, iii) number of vehicles in the zone during charging hours which are not liable to pay the charge (exempt or 100% discount or residents discount), and 3. What is the latest information on the average traffic speed during charging hours. If the information is in what you give us in answer to (1) above then please ignore this question. 4. Can we have whatever detailed split you have got in your accounting system for the income figure of £258.4 million for 2015-16. Ideally we would want the figure over the following heads, but if your system has not got this split, then will you please give us whatever split that you have got - i) Auto Pay (£10.50 per charging day rate), ii) Auto Pay annual charges (£10 admin fee), iii) Paid in advanced or by midnight on the day of travel (£11 per charging day rate), iv) Paid by midnight the following charging day (£14 per charging day rate), v) Paid at the 90% discounted residents' rate, vi) Penalty charges (£130 or £65 rates), vii) Penalty Charge certificates (£195 rate), viii) Debt Registration fees, ix) Enforcement agents and bailiffs fees, x) Registration charges for residents discounts, xi) Any bad debts or bad debt provisions which have not been allocated over the above heads, xii) Any other income. 5. Based on what we were told by you some years ago I am assuming that bad debts and bad debt provisions have reduced the reported income figure of £258.4m rather than increased your expenditure figures. Will you please confirm this. If this assumption is wrong then- what was the amount of bad debts and provisions that have been included in the expenditure figures in the published accounts. And can we have that figure split as far as possible over the income heads as per (4) above. 6. Whether the bad debts reduce the reported income or increase the reported expenditure, I have the following further questions on the bad debts. i) What was the gross* amount of the Congestion charge debts (unpaid charges, penalties and enforcement) in your Balance Sheet as at 31st March 2015 and 31st March 2016. (* i.e. gross of any BDP). ii) What was the balance of any BDP as at 31 March 2015 and 31 March 2016. iii) How much debt was written off in 2015-16.

We answered

Our ref: FOI-2014-1617

Thank you for your email received by us on 13 January 2017 asking for information about the Congestion Charging Zone. I apologise for the delay in replying to you.

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

1. Has TfL anything on the traffic in the Zone since the Sixth report in 2008? Is this is in the form of a report (albeit an internal one), and if so then can we have a copy of the most recent one?

2. I have the following questions about the latest available figures for the number of vehicles in the zone during charging hours. If the information is in what you give us in answer to (1) above then please ignore these questions.
i) number of vehicles which are liable to pay the full charge,
ii) number of vehicles in the zone during charging hours which are liable to pay the charge at the discounted rate for residents,
iii) number of vehicles in the zone during charging hours which are not liable to pay the charge (exempt or 100% discount or residents discount), and
3. What is the latest information on the average traffic speed during charging hours. If the information is in what you give us in answer to (1) above then please ignore this question.


For the first five years after the Congestion Charge was implemented, we were required to publish dedicated Impacts and Monitoring Reports. Information about the Congestion Charge since 2009 is now incorporated into the Travel in London reports, and also includes information about traffic flows, are available on our website:

https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/publications-and-reports/travel-in-london-reports

It may also be useful to refer to our quarterly Congestion Charging factsheets which are published in the Finance, Operations and Performance section of our website:

https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/publications-and-reports/congestion-charge.


4. Can we have whatever detailed split you have got in your accounting system for the income figure of £258.4 million for 2015-16.
Ideally we would want the figure over the following heads, but if your system has not got this split, then will you please give us whatever split that you have got -

i) Auto Pay (£10.50 per charging day rate),
ii) Auto Pay annual charges (£10 admin fee),
iii) Paid in advanced or by midnight on the day of travel (£11 per charging day rate),
iv) Paid by midnight the following charging day (£14 per charging day rate),
v) Paid at the 90% discounted residents' rate,
vi) Penalty charges (£130 or £65 rates),
vii) Penalty Charge certificates (£195 rate),
viii) Debt Registration fees,
ix) Enforcement agents and bailiffs fees,
x) Registration charges for residents discounts,
xi) Any bad debts or bad debt provisions which have not been allocated over the above heads,
xii) Any other income.

A breakdown of the split available is shown in the table below. As explained in our Annual Report and Statement of Accounts, the standard daily Congestion Charge, including those paying through Auto Pay, is recognised as income on the day for which the relevant charge is purchased. Prepayments are deferred to the balance sheet and released on a daily basis. Income from penalty charge notices is recognised, net of a provision for cancellation, on the day the penalty charge is issued. Each increase in the penalty charge results in income being recognised in full at the date the increase is applied.

4. Congestion Charge Income

2015/16

Rate

£m

Standard Daily Charges

£11.50

30.41

Pay Next Day

£14.00

9.13

Auto Pay

£10.50

117.17

Autopay Registrations

£10.00

8.69

Residents Daily Charges

£1.05

1.83

Residents Registrations

£10.00

0.19

Fees, Registrations and Refunds

(0.00)

Sub Total

167.41

Rate

£m

Penalty Charges

£65.00

63.72

Penalty Charges

£130.00

21.11

Penalty Charges

£195.00

13.10

Debt Registration

£8.00

1.03

All Adjustments to PCNs

-

(7.97)

Sub Total

90.99

TOTAL

258.40

5. Based on what we were told by you some years ago I am assuming that bad debts and bad debt provisions have reduced the reported income figure of £258.4m rather than increased your expenditure figures. Will you please confirm this.
If this assumption is wrong then- what was the amount of bad debts and provisions that have been included in the expenditure figures in the published accounts. And can we have that figure split as far as possible over the income heads as per (4) above.

The income is reported Gross with the bad debt expense recorded as a direct expenditure for Congestion Charge. There is no further split available since the bad debt is recorded as a single expenditure.


6. Whether the bad debts reduce the reported income or increase the reported expenditure, I have the following further questions on the bad debts.
i) What was the gross* amount of the Congestion charge debts (unpaid charges, penalties and enforcement) in your Balance Sheet as at 31st March 2015 and 31st March 2016. (* i.e. gross of any BDP).
ii) What was the balance of any BDP as at 31 March 2015 and 31 March 2016.
iii) How much debt was written off in 2015-16.

This information is shown in the table below. It should be noted that the Debtor Balance Outstanding at 31 March includes the current amount outstanding on penalty charge notices, including any increase. As explained in our response to Q4 above, penalty charges for 2014/15 and 2015/16 are recognised as income from the date of the penalty charge is raised, regardless of whether the statutory time periods for payment, representations or appeals have expired.

6. Congestion Charge Outstanding Debt

15/16

14/15

Bad Debt Write Off

(23.07)

(22.72)

Bad Debt Provision

(17.93)

(16.91)

Total Debt Expense

(41.00)

(39.63)

Debtors Outstanding
Balance at 31 March

(189.62)

(167.47)

If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for some 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,

Melissa Nichols

FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

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