Council parking chiefs want DVLA's secret data on drivers

Town halls are considering using the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency database to manage permits and fines, but campaigners fear it will lead to more incorrect tickets being issued and increased surveillance of drivers.

The DVLA said councils now have only limited access to information about abandoned or "nuisance" vehicles, or to help combat fly-tipping.

It has had requests from Newham, Kingston, Kensington and Chelsea, Southwark and Camden councils for blanket online access to its database, plus a "consortium" application from London Councils, parent body of the 32 boroughs.

The requests have so far been refused, the DVLA said. London Councils said access would "provide a cheaper, more efficient, paperless parking system".

The measures requested are similar to the enhanced powers granted as a "one-off" to Olympics organiser Locog to prevent parking near venues and manage permits during the Games.

Newham, one of the six Olympic host boroughs, has said its parking "legacy" includes lobbying for direct access to the DVLA database. It also plans to buy second-hand automatic numberplate recognition vans from Locog.

A second host borough, Hackney, said it will look into the matter of access after the Games, while a third, Tower Hamlets, said it did not need access. The Information Commissioner's Office and the DVLA said councils must prove they have "reasonable cause" for accessing data.

A DVLA spokeswoman said: "Schemes to aid administration, such as parking permit schemes, are not considered to meet the reasonable cause provisions."

Nick Pickles, director of Big Brother Watch, said: "It would be a sad indictment of London life if one of the Olympic legacies was councils being able to create a database of every one of our car journeys."