Brent Council made £2.6million from parking charges and fines in the last year, figures released today claim.

Data collected by the RAC Foundation shows the town hall’s parking tills rang to the tune of £2,701,000 in (2012-2013).

The sum is 1.3 per cent down from the previous year where the council made £2,701,000.

The figures, calculated by adding up income from parking charges and penalty notices, then deducting running costs, comes from the annual returns that councils make to the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Brent made the 55th highest amount of money in the country but was eclipsed by neighbouring Westminster with £39,705,000 - the highest made by any local authority.

With a loss of £475,000 West Sussex came bottom of the table.

Professor Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “The government’s recent decision to consult on changes to parking rules and regulations is timely and we have always argued that at the very least all councils should publish an annual parking report to explain how much money is collected from drivers and, just as importantly, where that cash is going.

“It might be that some of the extra ‘profit’ has arisen because councils’ costs for running parking services have been reduced but drivers need to know this.

“There’s no disputing the figures we have looked at. They are the numbers the councils themselves submit to central government.”

Cllr Muhammed Butt, leader of Brent Council, told the Times they were ‘open and transparent’ and will ‘continue to remain that way’ as they already publish the money generated from parking and penalty fines online.

He added: “We are also on the side of the motorists as we have reduced parking charges in Brent and have given free parking in Council-run car parks over Christmas.”