Parking fine rise rejected

Plans to raise the cost of parking fines in Edinburgh and other Scottish cities to £100 have been thrown out by the Scottish Government.

The city council had asked for permission to raise the maximum fine from £60, alongside the councils of other cities including Aberdeen, Dundee and Glasgow.

But a confidential Scottish Government report has ruled that the move would be unfair because of the existing economic pressures on motorists.

In March 2010, ministers agreed to consult on revised guidance to councils on charging, with a number of authorities saying that increasing administration costs meant that the fines no longer covered the costs of enforcement.