Agenda item

(To receive a report by Matt Jones (Parking Services Manager), which invites the Committee to consider and comment on the contents of the annual report and support the report being published on the Council's website)

The Committee received a report which provided members with the opportunity to consider the Civil Parking Enforcement Annual Report 2016 to 2017.  It was reported that the adoption of Civil Parking Enforcement (CPE) by Lincolnshire County Council required the Council to submit and annual report on CPE related activities and a financial statement showing the cost of the operation, including any deficit or surplus.  This was in accordance with the Statutory Guidance to Local Authorities on the Civil Enforcement of Parking Contraventions. 

Members were guided through the report and some of the points highlighted included the following:

·         CPE had been in operation for almost five years, as the County Council had taken over this responsibility from the Police in 2012.

·         There were approximately 22 officers who patrolled the County.

·         Compliance was becoming more noticeable in certain areas.

·         Just over 30,000 penalty charge notices had been issued in 2016-2017, which was slightly down on the previous year, which fitted in with the increased compliance which was being seen.

·         There was a surplus of just less than £70,000, and it was noted that any surplus could only be used for certain activities.  The surplus from the previous year had been used to fund CCTV monitoring of parking around schools.

·         Members were reminded that the County Council did not receive any income from on street parking.

Members of the Committee were provided with the opportunity to ask questions to the officers present in relation to the information contained within the report and some of the points raised during discussion included the following:

·         It was commented that things seemed to be going really well.  Income was going down as compliance increased, and so the scheme was doing what it was meant to.

·         It was commented that retailers had been seen parking outside of their shops for several hours which prevented customers from parking there to visit the shops.

·         Problems in relation to parking in Spalding town centre were highlighted, the Executive Councillor advised he had spoken to the contractor about this issue and it was being worked on.

·         Members were advised that before a ticket would be issued, the officer would always check that the 'signs and lines' were compliant, otherwise, they could not issue a ticket.

·         Members of the public were able to report inconsiderate parking directly to APCOA which would then be conveyed through to the team.

·         If members were aware of any issues in their areas, they could contact the Parking Services Manager directly, who would try and resolve the issue.

·         One member commented that they found the service to be very efficient, and appreciated the response that was received from officers.

·         It was queried whether information could be made available regarding the number of tickets issued in a particular area.

·         A member commented that they had witnessed the abuse of patrol officers by members of the public and it was queried whether training to deal with these situations was the responsibility of the County Council or the contractor.  It was clarified that it was the contractors responsibility to provide this training which included conflict management.  Also, all officers wore video badge cameras which would be switched on whilst on patrol.  It was acknowledged that officers received a lot of abuse, and the cameras would also record conversations, which have helped in the prosecution of members of the public for their actions against officers.

·         It was noted that the main goal of CPE was compliance, and so it was queried whether the contract was a fixed cost.  Members were advised that the contract was based on the number of hours, and the County Council currently asked for 33,000.

·         It was noted that the function of civil parking enforcement for on street areas had been delegated to the County Council, and off street parking enforcement was delegated to district councils.  It had been suggested at one time that there was just one contract for on and off street parking, but this did not go ahead.

RESOLVED

            That the contents of the annual report and comments made be noted, and that the Committee support the publishing of the report on the Council's website.