Councils are making record surpluses from their parking activities.

According to the RAC Foundation, councils in England generated a combined “profit” of £594m from their on and off-street parking operations last year.

This was a 5% increase on the figure of £565m for 2011/12, and just 52 of the 353 parking authorities in England reported a deficit in 2012/13.

In Kirklees drivers paid out £5,694,000 to park their cars in both on-street and off-street car parks last year.

The figure for Calderdale last year was £4,485,000.

Those payouts meant both councils recorded a surplus for the third successive year.

Kirklees received a surplus of £1,493,000 – bringing the total over the past three years to £6.9m.

Calderdale’s figure was £1,157,000 last year, with the three-year tally running at £3.4m.

Elsewhere in West Yorkshire, Leeds had the biggest surplus last year, with a figure of £6.2m.

Bradford collected in more than £2.6m while Wakefield had a surplus of £1m.

Council chiefs have defended the figures.

Peter Box, chairman of the Local Government Association’s economy and transport board, said: “This report further peddles the myth that councils are using parking charges to raise money.

“The reality is that the average motorist is paying 30 times more to Whitehall in charges and taxation each year than they do to their town hall through parking.

“Councils are on the side of hard-pressed motorists by keeping a lid on parking charges. Many already publish annual parking reports to be open and transparent with residents and combat the deep-rooted misconception that they are being used to raise money.

“Councils do not make a profit from parking. All income from charges and fines is spent on running parking services and any surplus goes on essential transport projects such as bringing our dilapidated road network up to scratch and providing subsidised bus travel for children or elderly residents.”

The RAC calculated the figures by adding up income from parking charges and penalty notices, then deducting running costs.

The authority with the largest surplus in 2012/13 was Westminster with £39.7 million.

RAC Foundation director Professor Stephen Glaister said: “It is a case of deja vu. Once again English councils have made record amounts from parking. Yet overall spending on local roads has fallen by 9% over the past three years with road safety expenditure down by as much as 20%.”