Monday October 19th 2026
Parking meter on North Berwick high street
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
Fresh questions have been raised over North Berwick’s parking enforcement scheme after Freedom of Information (FOI) data revealed that almost one in four penalty notices issued during its first three months had been cancelled.
The figures, obtained from East Lothian Council, show that 877 Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) were issued between June 8 and the end of August 2026.
Of these, 479 had been paid, 218 cancelled, 171 remained open and nine had been written off.
The council received approximately £24,650 in parking fine payments during the period.
North Berwick Community Councillor John Wellwood said the figures raised questions about the scheme’s financial forecasts, the use of parking contravention codes and the information provided to councillors.
One key concern is whether the council can achieve its original forecast of approximately £306,210 a year from parking enforcement and penalty charges.
The £24,650 received during the first three months represents around 8.1% of the annual forecast.
To reach the target, the remaining nine months would need to generate approximately £281,560, equivalent to £31,284 a month. This is almost four times the average monthly income received during the first three months.
While delays between notices being issued and payments being received mean the figures do not provide a final forecast, Mr Wellwood said the original target appeared challenging based on the early figures.
The FOI data also shows that Imperial, Glebe and Lodge car parks accounted for 413 of the 877 penalty notices issued, representing around 47% of the total.
The three car parks charge for parking from the last Sunday in March until the last Sunday in October, with parking free for approximately five months over winter.
This has raised further questions about the council’s financial projections, given the seasonal nature of enforcement at three of the scheme’s main sources of penalty notices.
Another issue concerns the use of Contravention Code 83, which was recorded on 407 notices, or 46.4% of the total.
The code relates to parking without clearly displaying a valid pay-and-display ticket, voucher or parking clock.
However, North Berwick’s new parking system checks payments electronically and does not require motorists to display a physical ticket.
After the issue was raised with the council, East Lothian Council said its enforcement team had considered Code 83 appropriate because the ticket was displayed electronically on the parking attendant’s handheld device.
The council has since instructed attendants to use Code 73, which refers to parking without payment of the parking charge.
East Lothian Council has not accepted that the earlier Code 83 notices were invalid. Further information has been requested about what the change means for the 407 notices, including those already paid.
The FOI data also records 105 on-street notices using the wording “Parked without payment of the parking charge” during the same period.
The figures have also prompted questions about the information available to councillors when they considered the parking scheme on August 25.
At that meeting, councillors were told that 554 penalty notices had been issued and 145 cancelled during the period reported.
The later FOI dataset records 549 notices for June and July, a difference of five which the council has been asked to explain.
Of those 549 notices, 268 — almost 49% — were issued under Code 83.
It remains unclear whether councillors were informed of the extent to which Code 83 was being used, whether its suitability had been considered, or whether they had been given information about the reliance on the three seasonal car parks.
By the end of August, 218 of the 877 notices issued had been cancelled. Further information has been requested to establish the reasons for the cancellations.
Mr Wellwood said the figures did not establish that councillors had been deliberately misled, but raised questions about whether they had received a sufficiently complete picture of the scheme’s performance.
He said: “The purpose of obtaining this information is not to make accusations before we have the evidence. It is to understand whether the scheme is operating as councillors and the public were told it would.
“The first three months raise four clear questions: whether the £306,210 fines forecast remains realistic, why almost half of the PCNs came from three car parks which stop charging for around five months, why 407 motorists were issued Code 83 before ELC changed to Code 73, and whether councillors were given enough information about these issues when they considered the scheme on 25 August.
“Almost one in four PCNs had also been cancelled. We need to understand why.
“Further FOI requests have been submitted and I believe the Council should publish the information needed to answer these questions clearly and transparently.”
Further information has been requested from East Lothian Council on the reasons for cancellations, the status of the 407 Code 83 notices, the decision to change to Code 73 and the financial assumptions being used to assess early enforcement performance.
More detailed analysis is available through the North Berwick Community Council website.
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