Traitors star Joe Lycett hits out at council after he got parking fine while taking son to hospital

Comedian Joe Lycett has accused Birmingham City Council of being “morally wrong” after he received a parking fine while taking his son to hospital.

The Traitors star said he was issued with a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) outside Birmingham Children’s Hospital while taking his child to the emergency department.

Speaking on fellow stand-up comic Katherine Ryan’s podcast, What’s My Age Again?, Lycett said he discovered he had been given a ticket at the exact moment he was inside paying for a parking session.

“I thought, ‘I will do it when I get in there’,” he said: “He was being assessed, and I was paying for parking. And it is the same minute that I got the parking fine.”

The 38-year-old said the experience exposed what he believes is an exploitative revenue stream for the cash-strapped local authority, which issued a Section 114 notice effectively declaring bankruptcy in September 2023.

“They must make so much money from people rushing into A&E, not paying for parking straight away,” Lycett said. “For Birmingham City Council just to make revenue from parents that are rushing their kids into A&E. I think that’s morally wrong.”

Known for high-profile public interventions on civic and political issues – ranging from protesting sewer discharges to calling out government policy– Lycett said he has submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to uncover the full extent of the council’s parking earnings outside the city-centre hospital.

He called on council leaders to hand over every penny collected from fines in the vicinity to the hospital’s charitable trust.

“I want to know exactly how much money they made. Even if it is a £100, I want them to donate it to the Birmingham Children’s Hospital trust,” he said.

Acknowledging the severe financial crisis gripping his home city, which has seen council tax hikes and cuts to core municipal services, he added: “I’ve got a lot of time for Birmingham City Council. We’re a struggling city, and I have got some patience for them, but not for that.”

Birmingham City Council has defended its enforcement regime, maintaining that restrictions are vital to prevent spaces near the hospital from being commandeered by commuters.

A spokesperson for the council said: “We understand that families visiting Birmingham Children's Hospital are often facing difficult and stressful situations.

“If someone can show they were attending the hospital, we will look at the circumstances of their case carefully when the Penalty Charge Notice is challenged.

“Parking near Birmingham Children's Hospital is used by many different people, including hospital patients and visitors, local businesses, and people travelling into the city centre. As a result, we do not know why a vehicle was parked there when a PCN is issued.

“Parking enforcement helps make sure that parking spaces remain available for patients, visitors and other people who need them.”