DVLA 'never notified' about issue that caused £800,000 loss in LEZ fines

The DVLA has said Edinburgh Council never notified it of data inaccuracies, which led to an £800,000 loss in Low Emissions Zone penalty charge income.

In a report released earlier this month, the council said it had lost out on the sum between June 2024 and March 2025 due to poor recordkeeping by the vehicle registration agency.

Now, a spokesperson for DVLA has said the council never informed it of the data problems – though the agency said it is willing to work with the council to resolve issues it identifies.

But the council has said it has flagged issues with the data to an industry trade group, and that Edinburgh is not the only city facing issues.

Edinburgh’s transport convener Stephen Jenkinson replied that the issue was “not limited to Edinburgh”.

He continued: “We will continue to work with the DVLA and other partners to improve the accuracy of this data and remain committed to recovering revenue through every means available to us.

“I’d also remind all drivers that they have a legal responsibility for ensuring their details are correct and up to date.”

The DVLA spokesperson said: “Registered keepers are legally responsible for ensuring the details of their vehicle are up to date and notifying the DVLA of any changes.

“When we are made aware that information we hold may be incorrect, we act quickly to investigate and update the record where appropriate.”

The council, as well as other local authorities across the country, relies on data from DVLA to enforce the LEZ, and a range of other penalty charges.

A spokesperson from the council said it had contributed data to a British Parking Association consultation on the quality of DVLA data.

They added that the top two reasons the council had to write off LEZ related PCNs are that there was no trace of the vehicle’s keeper in the DVLA’s data, at 81%, and undeliverable mail due to incorrect recipient details with the agency, at 13%.

The report said the city had raised £1,050,780 in penalty charges during the first nine months of the scheme’s operation.

In addition, it stated 70% of penalty charge notices issued for LEZ violations had been paid, and the city had begun debt recovery operations for unpaid fees.

Subtracting the cost of operating the scheme, the council has been left with almost £800,000 to invest in a range of climate-friendly projects.

This is set to include the council’s long-delayed 7-7-7 bus lane scheme, which will see some bus lanes operate 12 hours a day, seven days per week.

Lothian Buses’ 44 route is expected to be the first route to trial the scheme, with operations possibly running by the end of this month.

The report stated that almost 13,000 cases were in the debt recovery system at time of publication, with over 9,700 amid a debt recovery process.

A total of 3,074 challenges to PCNs related to the LEZ were made, with 2,773 charges being reversed.

The main reasons for reversals were situations where vehicles had a blue badge but had not applied for an exemption, and those where DVLA information about the vehicle was wrong.

Other reasons included vehicles being forced into the LEZ due to roadworks, and events where the council elected not to pursue the debt.

Labour councillor and transport convener Stephen Jenkinson said earlier this month that 77% of PCNs issued from the LEZ were now paid on time.

A council spokesperson at that time said this figure was from data including time since the study period concluded.