Sunderland Parking Regime About to Go Into Freefall

The telephone hasn't stopped all day. Businesses who have suffered from the Sunderland Council / NCP Draconian parking regime wanting information...AND disclosing further evidence of breaches and malpractice.

One call was from a Traffic Warden whistleblower. It was disclosed that a separate issue involved tickets issued on taxi ranks. Not only did Sunderland City Council not have a Controlled Parking Zone Order in place, but they did not, and still do not, have any Traffic Orders in place for any of the taxi ranks over the whole of Sunderland. They became aware of this in December of 2004...and 8,000 people had been ticketed since February 2003.
Not one person has been offered a refund.
Meetings were held between Sunderland City Council and NCP and the matter 'hushed up.' This does mean however, that the Council officials are fully aware that they have items of unlawful income in the City's accounts which now cannot be signed off by the District Auditor. The sum involved will be at least £240,000.
I am sure that there are going to be 8,000 seriously angry people...and that is before the whole house of cards falls!
Whispers have it that the gallows are being prepared.