Issue - meetings

That in respect of parking enforcement priorities when the new contract commences in January 2019, the key recommendations of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, as detailed at paragraph 3.1 of the report submitted, be adopted.

The Head of Operations submitted a report on the findings and recommendations of the Member Task and Finish Group established to review the Council’s Parking Enforcement priorities.  The Parking Manager provided a summary of the report.

Councillor N Symonds commented that she was pleased to see Parking Enforcement Officers outside of schools. 

In response to a query from Councillor M Freeman regarding the revenue stream generated by parking tickets, the Parking Manager outlined the restrictions imposed by statute in terms of the enforcement of contraventions.  Councillor M Casey queried why this aspect of the service could not be self-financing.  The Parking Manager suggested that part of the reason why gross revenue generated from car parks was around £3.2m was because of the incentive to pay the parking charge created by the Council’s parking enforcement activities. He explained that statute dictated that a local authority should not seek to generate a surplus through enforcement measures and that if it did, this should be ringfenced.

Enforcement during the evening, the difficulties enforcement officers could face and the measures which could be deployed were discussed.

Councillor J Kaye commented that in seven years there would be more cars on the road and hoped that what was in place now would be able to cope with the additional patrolling needed.  Councillor B Deering referred to the possibility of patrolling in pairs during the evening.  He stated that most of the complaints he received were about people parking outside of their doors and parking on verges.  The Parking Manager explained that the possibility of introducing enforceable footway and grassed verge parking bans had been investigated but not taken further because of an apparent lack of interest.  He stated that when parking became an obstruction, the Police could take action.

Councillor M Stevenson sought and was provided with clarification on Blue Badge Fraud and deception.

The Chairman, on behalf of Members thanked the Task and Finish Group for their recommendations.

Members noted the recommendations of the Task and Finish Group and that these be endorsed.

RESOLVED – that the Executive be advised that Overview and Scrutiny Committee support the recommendations of the Task and Finish Group as detailed in paragraph 3 of the report and endorse their inclusion in the Council’s new parking enforcement contract.