Fewer than one in three fines imposed by Teesside courts are paid by end of financial year

Fewer than one third of all financial penalties imposed by courts in Teesside are paid by the end of the financial year.

Figures released by the Government showed that only 32% of so-called “financial impositions” imposed by the local criminal justice board in the financial year 2013/14 had been collected by start of the new financial year in April.

Some 60% were still outstanding, while the rest were cancelled.

“Financial impositions” include any financial penalties levied on a defendant - things like court fines, prosecution costs, victim surcharges and confiscation orders.

Only three areas - Cheshire (51%), North Yorkshire (51%) and Surrey (55%) managed to collect more than half of the financial impositions imposed in 2013/14 by the end of March.

The worst-performing area was South Yorkshire, which collected just 28%.

Home Office minister Michael Penning, who released the figures, said: “The government takes recovery and enforcement of financial impositions very seriously and remains committed to finding new ways to encourage payment of impositions, and to trace those who do not pay.

“That is why there has been a year-on-year increase in the amount of financial penalties collected in the last three years.”

Due to the way to Home Office accounts for fines, the figures include penalties imposed late in the financial year that were not due to be paid by end of the financial year. It also includes accounts being paid in agreed instalments.