COLCHESTER Council banked £2.11 million in profit from parking services last year, according to figures put out by a research group.

Looking at Government data, the RAC Foundation said this total was down seven per cent on the £2.25 million made on parking in the borough the previous year.

It was down 16 per cent on the £2.5 million made from 2015 to 2016.

But the organisation described parking management as “quite a money spinner” for some councils.

Across the country, councils made a combined profit of £891 million from parking activities from 2019 to 2020, down from £934 million a year earlier.

Steve Gooding, RAC Foundation director, said: “The dip is likely to be much deeper for the current financial year given the range of restrictions over the past 12 months and the Government’s current plea that we should all stay at home if we can.

“Going forward there are likely to be many councils who are actually looking to cut parking charges as a way of encouraging more people to visit their high streets which are fighting for survival.”

A Colchester Council spokesman said any revenue raised from parking charges is pumped back into the service.

“The RAC Foundation data does not factor in outgoings and expenditure or on-street parking,” he said.

“Like all councils, we must strike a balance when setting parking policy to ensure adequate, accessible, good quality car parking is available, that high streets are kept vibrant and traffic is kept moving.

“Our new five year strategy is designed to do all this and deliver a positive impact on the environment, town centre and overall parking experience for customers.”

He added: “Despite the impact of coronavirus on revenue, we introduced a 50 per cent extra free parking offer through the MiPermit App to support town centre businesses after the first lockdown and encourage contactless payment, which proved extremely popular.”