ParkAppeal obtained Freedom of Information data from Manchester City Council showing some of the city’s most active on-street parking ticket hotspots across 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26.
New Freedom of Information data obtained from Manchester City Council has revealed some of the city’s most active on-street parking ticket hotspots, with St John Street, Oxney Road, Banff Road, Grandale Street and Hibbert Street repeatedly appearing among the highest locations for Penalty Charge Notices.
The figures cover council-issued on-street parking PCNs for the financial years 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26.
The request excluded off-street council car parks, bus lane PCNs, moving traffic PCNs, Clean Air Zone charges, littering penalties and private parking charges.
Last updated: 25 June 2026
Media summary
Freedom of Information data supplied by Manchester City Council shows 95,510 on-street parking PCNs across the supplied hotspot rows, with a combined face value of £4,666,683 before discounts, cancellations or appeal outcomes.
St John Street was the clearest recurring hotspot in the supplied data, accounting for 15,333 PCNs and a combined face value of £780,875 across the rows supplied by the council.
The data also shows a sharp year-on-year surge in the supplied hotspot rows, rising from 15,786 PCNs in 2023/24 to 45,519 PCNs in 2024/25.
Dataset note: some streets appear more than once where different contravention codes were supplied, so the figures should be read as hotspot rows from the council’s FOI response rather than a fully combined ranking of unique streets in every case.
Key findings from the FOI response
St John Street appears as Manchester’s biggest parking ticket hotspot
St John Street was one of the clearest recurring hotspots in the data.
In 2023/24, St John Street appeared twice in the supplied response, with 1,758 PCNs linked to contravention code 21 and 1,279 PCNs linked to contravention code 6.
The street then saw a major increase in 2024/25, with 6,795 PCNs recorded under contravention code 1, carrying a total face value of £355,170.
In 2025/26, St John Street remained the highest individual row in the response, with 5,501 PCNs and a face value of £280,309.
Across the supplied figures, St John Street accounted for 15,333 PCNs and £780,875 in face value.
Oxney Road, Banff Road and Grandale Street also appear repeatedly
Oxney Road was another major hotspot. It recorded 1,895 PCNs in 2023/24, then rose sharply to 6,620 PCNs in 2024/25, before falling to 4,089 PCNs in 2025/26.
Across the supplied rows, Oxney Road accounted for 12,604 PCNs and a combined face value of £588,129.
Banff Road also appeared in all three financial years, with 1,473 PCNs in 2023/24, 5,296 in 2024/25 and 3,488 in 2025/26.
Grandale Street entered the supplied top hotspot data in 2024/25 with 5,457 PCNs and remained high in 2025/26 with 3,746 PCNs.
Hibbert Street followed a similar pattern, with 4,906 PCNs in 2024/25 and 3,396 in 2025/26.
Residents’ and shared-use parking appears to be a major issue
One of the clearest patterns in the data is the dominance of contravention code 12.
Code 12 is commonly used for parking in a residents’ or shared-use parking place or zone without clearly displaying the correct permit, voucher, pay-and-display ticket or parking payment evidence.
Across the supplied hotspot rows, code 12 accounted for 62,643 PCNs, around two-thirds of the total.
That suggests many of Manchester’s busiest parking ticket hotspots are not simply about overstaying in a paid bay. A large proportion appear to involve resident or shared-use parking areas where drivers may not have displayed or arranged the correct permission or payment.
2024/25 was the peak year in the supplied hotspot data
The FOI data supplied shows a sharp increase in the highest-ranking hotspot rows between 2023/24 and 2024/25.
The top supplied rows totalled:
- 15,786 PCNs in 2023/24
- 45,519 PCNs in 2024/25
- 34,205 PCNs in 2025/26
The increase was striking: the supplied hotspot total rose from 15,786 PCNs in 2023/24 to 45,519 PCNs in 2024/25 — an increase of 29,733 PCNs, or around 188% year-on-year. In simple terms, the 2024/25 hotspot total was almost three times higher than the previous year.
The combined face value of those rows rose from £756,671 in 2023/24 to £2,235,425 in 2024/25, before falling to £1,674,587 in 2025/26.
Although 2025/26 was lower than 2024/25, the figures remained far above the 2023/24 level in the supplied data.
The biggest repeated hotspots
Several locations appeared more than once across the three-year period.
St John Street appeared in all three years and was the highest supplied row in both 2024/25 and 2025/26.
Oxney Road, Banff Road, Higher Ardwick, Byrom Street, Hythe Close and Viscount Street also appeared repeatedly in the council’s response.
The recurring nature of these locations suggests some Manchester streets and parking zones are generating thousands of PCNs year after year.
Top hotspot rows from the FOI response
2023/24
The highest rows included Higher Ardwick with 2,068 PCNs and a face value of £114,875, Byrom Street with 2,008 PCNs and £110,141, Oxney Road with 1,895 PCNs and £92,429, and St John Street with 1,758 PCNs and £96,481.
Byrom Street and St John Street appeared more than once in the 2023/24 data because separate contravention codes were supplied.
2024/25
The highest row was St John Street, with 6,795 PCNs and a face value of £355,170.
This was followed by Oxney Road with 6,620 PCNs and £307,185, Grandale Street with 5,457 PCNs and £265,985, Banff Road with 5,296 PCNs and £260,515, and Hibbert Street with 4,906 PCNs and £248,524.
2025/26
St John Street remained top in 2025/26, with 5,501 PCNs and a face value of £280,309.
Oxney Road followed with 4,089 PCNs and £188,515, while Heald Grove in Moss Side recorded 3,795 PCNs and £168,284.
Grandale Street, Banff Road, Hibbert Street, Higher Ardwick, Hythe Close, Park Crescent and Viscount Street also appeared in the supplied top rows.
Drivers should carefully check the details before paying
A high number of PCNs in one location does not automatically mean tickets were issued incorrectly. Some locations may simply have complex restrictions, heavy parking demand, resident-only bays, suspended bays, unclear parking layouts or enforcement activity that results in more PCNs being issued.
However, drivers who receive a PCN should carefully check the details before paying.
This includes checking the contravention code, the location, the signage, the road markings, the date and time, whether any permit or payment evidence was available, and whether the council followed the correct process.
The face value figures in this data do not necessarily represent final revenue. Some PCNs may have been paid at a discount, cancelled, successfully appealed or progressed through later enforcement stages.
Comment from ParkAppeal
A ParkAppeal spokesperson said: “The supplied Manchester FOI data shows how concentrated parking enforcement can be around certain streets and certain types of restriction. St John Street, Oxney Road and several resident or shared-use parking areas appear repeatedly in the figures.
“For drivers, the key point is not to rush into paying without checking the notice. If the signs were unclear, the location is wrong, the contravention does not match what happened, or there was valid payment or permit evidence, it may be worth considering a challenge.
“These figures also show why clear signage and easy-to-understand parking restrictions matter. Where the same streets appear repeatedly in high-volume hotspot data, it underlines the importance of restrictions being clearly communicated to drivers.”
Raw FOI data supplied by Manchester City Council
The tables below show the on-street parking PCN hotspot data supplied by Manchester City Council in response to the Freedom of Information request.
The figures show the number of PCNs issued, the total face value before discounts, cancellations or appeal outcomes, and the contravention code supplied by the council.
Some streets appear more than once where separate contravention codes were supplied.
2023/24
| Street name | Total PCNs | Total face value | Contravention code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Higher Ardwick | 2,068 | £114,875 | 1 |
| Byrom Street (City Centre : Zonea) | 2,008 | £110,141 | 21 |
| Oxney Road | 1,895 | £92,429 | 12 |
| St John Street | 1,758 | £96,481 | 21 |
| Banff Road | 1,473 | £73,739 | 12 |
| Byrom Street (City Centre : Zonea) | 1,465 | £59,381 | 6 |
| Chester Street | 1,306 | £53,281 | 6 |
| Great Jackson Street | 1,289 | £54,826 | 6 |
| St John Street | 1,279 | £48,915 | 6 |
| George Street | 1,245 | £52,603 | 6 |
2024/25
| Street name | Total PCNs | Total face value | Contravention code |
|---|---|---|---|
| St John Street | 6,795 | £355,170 | 1 |
| Oxney Road | 6,620 | £307,185 | 12 |
| Grandale Street | 5,457 | £265,985 | 12 |
| Banff Road | 5,296 | £260,515 | 12 |
| Hibbert Street | 4,906 | £248,524 | 12 |
| Heald Grove (Moss Side) | 3,701 | £165,075 | 12 |
| Hythe Close | 3,631 | £169,922 | 12 |
| Viscount Street | 3,169 | £153,269 | 12 |
| Byrom Street (City Centre : Zonea) | 3,004 | £165,565 | 21 |
| Whitecliff Close | 2,940 | £144,215 | 12 |
2025/26
| Street name | Total PCNs | Total face value | Contravention code |
|---|---|---|---|
| St John Street | 5,501 | £280,309 | 1 |
| Oxney Road | 4,089 | £188,515 | 12 |
| Heald Grove (Moss Side) | 3,795 | £168,284 | 12 |
| Grandale Street | 3,746 | £186,055 | 12 |
| Banff Road | 3,488 | £172,287 | 12 |
| Hibbert Street | 3,396 | £176,396 | 12 |
| Higher Ardwick | 2,624 | £137,007 | 1 |
| Hythe Close | 2,595 | £122,404 | 12 |
| Park Crescent | 2,525 | £133,104 | 1 |
| Viscount Street | 2,446 | £110,226 | 12 |
Data notes
The figures above are based on the council’s response to a Freedom of Information request.
The “total face value” figure is the value of PCNs before any discounts, cancellations, successful appeals or later enforcement outcomes. It should not be treated as final income received by the council.
The response included contravention codes but did not include full contravention descriptions in the supplied table. Some streets appear more than once where different contravention codes were supplied.
For that reason, the figures should be read as hotspot rows from the council’s FOI response rather than a fully combined ranking of unique streets in every case.
For journalists and media enquiries
This report can be referenced as a ParkAppeal Freedom of Information analysis of on-street parking PCN hotspot rows supplied by Manchester City Council.
- Scope: council-issued on-street parking PCNs only
- Financial years: 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26
- Main finding: 95,510 PCNs across the supplied hotspot rows, with a combined face value of £4,666,683
- Key hotspot: St John Street appeared repeatedly and accounted for 15,333 PCNs across the supplied rows
- Dataset note: some rows are street-and-contravention-code combinations, not necessarily fully combined unique street totals
For comment or media enquiries, please contact ParkAppeal through the ParkAppeal contact page.
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ParkAppeal is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Our software generates appeal letters for drivers to review and submit themselves. ParkAppeal is independent and is not affiliated with Manchester City Council or any parking operator.
Whether a parking appeal is accepted depends on the facts, evidence, the relevant authority or operator, and the process used. The figures in this article are based on the Freedom of Information response supplied by Manchester City Council and should not be treated as final income received by the council.