Fulham residents hit with matchday parking fees – even with no fans at Craven Cottage
Tory MP Greg Hands has hit out at Fulham and Hammersmith Council for implementing matchday parking restrictions around Fulham FC’s Craven Cottage, despite there being no fans at games.
The council is charging people £2.50 an hour to park in some areas around the Premier League club’s ground, with £80 fines given to cars parked in this zone for more than one hour.
This is despite the fact that no fans are allowed to attend Premier League games due to Covid restrictions.
Fulham and Hammersmith Council told Morning Wire that the football club had asked the local authority to maintain the parking restrictions for the “health and safety of players”.
Hands, who is a trade minister and MP for Fulham and Hammersmith, said keeping the mathcday measures was “absurd” and that the council “went our ticketing everyone” last weekend.
“It is absurd and just a sign of greed from the Labour Hammersmith and Fulham Council – which claims not to have enough money to even put a single penny towards repairing Hammersmith Bridge,” he said.
Fulham resident Nick Ingram also tweeted his anger at the rule, saying: “In what universe do ‘match day restrictions’ apply when there are zero fans at the game?
“Made even worse when a trip to the park is one of the only activities allowed.”
Chelsea’s stadium Stamford Bridge is also within the same borough, however no matchday parking restrictions apply around the ground.
Islington council also lifted parking restrictions around Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium when fans were banned from attending games earlier this year.
A Fulham and Hammersmith councillor told Morning Wire they had complained about the continuance of matchday parking restrictions with the club and the council, but was told it could not change.
A Hammersmith and Fulham Council spokesperson said: “The council has been asked by Fulham FC [to keep the restrictions] so that players and staff are safe in case of an emergency.
“A lot of vehicles and equipment from broadcasters clog up the area around the ground on match days and the club wants to keep the area clear for health and safety reasons.
“The zone is also in a smaller portion of Stevenage Road than in normal times.”
Fulham FC was contacted for comment.