Parking attendants letting Balmoral guests off the hook

Edinburgh City Council has been criticised for its leniency in issuing parking tickets to five-star hotel guests.

The council has been working with the Balmoral Hotel after its customers complained about being issued with £60 fines while dropping off their bags.

The trouble began after a 'no loading' sign was posted outside the hotel, which made it impossible for guests to park and led to numerous tickets being issued. The restriction has been removed after protests from the hotel and its visitors.

Loading and unloading on single and double yellow lines is not illegal; however, the council has been criticised for limiting its tolerant approach to five-star hotel guests at the iconic hotel.

A spokesman for Edinburgh City Council said: "The parking restrictions in front of the Balmoral Hotel remain enforceable. However, we have agreed to take a pragmatic approach to enforcement and work with the hotel concierges in an effort to better manage the area and facilitate the arrival and departure of hotel guests."

The Balmoral Hotel declined to comment on the dispute.

Figures released by the Drivers Alliance and the Tax Payers Alliance in 2009 showed that Edinburgh issued the highest level of parking fines in Scotland, collecting a total of £6,911,725.

The dispute between the council and the hotel comes only a few weeks after the general-manager of the five-star Balmoral made controversial statements about homeless people in Edinburgh.

Ivan Artolli, orginally from Venice, said visitors felt uncomfortable because of the large number of beggars, and said he has "never come across a city with such a tolerance of beggars".

Mr Artolli added: "People who beg elsewhere in Europe tend to be gypsies, and American tourists come to associate beggars with thieves – and lax security. It is not comfortable to see people sitting begging on the pavement.

"I think this country has a good system of health and social care and I do not know how much longer we can justify seeing people begging in the streets. The council really needs to understand the impact it has on visitors."