City profits from expired regos

Wardens can now issue tickets in parked buildings. Photo / Brett Phibbs

A crackdown on expired vehicle registrations and warrants of fitness has netted the Auckland City Council nearly $1.5 million in just three months.

A recent policy change means motorists are no longer given a few days' leeway to renew expired registrations.

Wardens were issuing an average of 10,285 tickets each month - 3300 more than when the hardline approach began on October 1.

Even cars parked off the street aren't safe, with wardens given licence to issue tickets in parking buildings as well.

But the council has denied the move was a cash-grab, saying wardens were simply enforcing the law.

Transport committee chairman Ken Baguley said it had been a directive to staff, rather than formal council policy.

Baguley said it was "unfair" to label the move revenue-gathering. "The rules are the rules," he said.

There was still some flexibility for those whose warrant or registration had just expired, and who wrote to council proving they immediately paid.

"If you get it fixed up immediately, I gather there is some leniency."

Wardens were not actively patrolling parking buildings, but could issue tickets if called to deal with another issue, he said.

A new reminder service about overdue tickets had also contributed to the rise in revenue, and the council had developed more efficient methods of pursuing the $26 million owing in unpaid fines.

The $200 a ticket is split between the council and the Government - unless the fine is lodged at court, in which case the council takes 90 per cent of any money collected.

Assuming the fines were voluntarily paid, the council would have taken in nearly 1.5m extra since October 1.

That's gone some way to making up for a $2.2m shortfall in the council's parking revenue because of a drop in pay-and-display revenue and carpark leases.

A performance report for the six months to December 2009 showed revenue from enforcement was $5.5m, compared to a budgeted income of $3.8m. Revenue from parking services was $6.09m, down from a budget of $8.27m.

Opposition councillor Richard Northey said he understood why the policy was in place, but would rather there was some leniency.

"I can understand where the staff are coming from, to make up their financial situation," he says.

"I could support some tightening up, but I think it still needs to be a bit flexible."