Joe Lycett has criticized Birmingham City Council after receiving a parking fine while taking his son to Birmingham Children’s Hospital. The Celebrity Traitors star said he received the fine at the exact moment he was paying for parking. Lycett received the ticket while his son was being assessed in the emergency department. He later argued that parents rushing children into A&E should not face extra financial pressure over parking.
Joe Lycett received a parking fine at Birmingham Children’s Hospital
Lycett discussed the incident on Katherine Ryan’s What’s My Age Again? podcast, according to The Independent.
He said he parked outside Birmingham Children’s Hospital and intended to pay for parking once inside. While staff assessed his son, Lycett began paying for the parking session.
However, he received a parking fine while completing the payment. He said the council issued the fine in the same minute that he paid for parking.
Lycett argued that the system risks penalizing parents during stressful emergencies. He called the situation “morally wrong” and questioned how much money Birmingham City Council collects from similar fines outside the hospital.
The comedian has submitted a Freedom of Information request seeking details about the council’s parking revenue near the hospital. He also wants the council to donate money collected from parking fines near the hospital to Birmingham Children’s Hospital’s charitable trust.
Lycett acknowledged that Birmingham City Council faces serious financial pressure. Still, he said that did not justify earning money from parents rushing their children into A&E.
The council defended its parking enforcement. A spokesperson told The Independent that restrictions help keep spaces available for hospital patients, visitors and other people who need them.
The council also said it would review individual circumstances when drivers challenge a Penalty Charge Notice. That includes cases where someone can show they were attending the hospital.
The hospital drama comes shortly after Lycett’s appearance on Celebrity Traitors UK. He recently admitted that his eagerness to become a Traitor contributed to his downfall on the series.
Reality Tea has also followed the wider Celebrity Traitors franchise as it prepares for another intense season.
For Lycett, though, this latest frustration had nothing to do with reality TV strategy. It was about taking his son to the hospital without facing an additional financial burden.
