Agenda item

Parking Strategy

Decision:

Due to the arrangements made under legacy authorities, the parking service has historically been delivered through a split operating model - Off Street enforcement was delivered in house; On Street was outsourced. Following a Better Buckinghamshire Service Review an integrated parking service had been created which provided a more effective delivery model and aligned to national standards where parking enforcement for on and off street was delivered by one Council.

As a pre-cursor to the formulation of this strategy an informal review of the Parking Service was undertaken by a member working group at the request of the Cabinet Member for Transport. The purpose of the review was to assess what potential improvements could be made to better serve the residents of Buckinghamshire and to address legacy inconsistencies and outputs from the review have informed the development of this Strategy.

The proposals set out in the report, and in the draft Parking Strategy (Appendix A) set the strategic direction of travel for the service which would support the MTFP process and balance the Parking Account. The strategy would enable the Council to set out its aims and objectives for parking services, within the context of a rapidly changing industry, across Buckinghamshire and highlight the importance and value that parking services could provide for residents and local communities. Not least, to ensure the associated regulatory requirements were appropriately met for the Council, which included compliance, but also how the parking estate would be financially managed to assess car parks as an asset, along with how parking supported the Local Transport Plan 5 (LTP5).

The Parking Strategy set out our vision for parking in Buckinghamshire across four themes: Technology & Innovation, Parking Charges, Enforcement, and Parking Assets which were detailed in the report.

RESOLVED that Cabinet -

1. agree the Parking Strategy for Buckinghamshire which sets out the ambitions and vision for parking across Buckinghamshire.

2. note the following which are in motion:

a. Public consultation launched week commencing 15 January 2024 on the Traffic Regulation Order to make amendments to provide a more consistent customer experience by; removing unfunded free parking sessions, updating hours of control, including introducing hours and charges in preparation for the new Winslow Station Car Park, and making On-Street charging amendments.

b. Actions to strengthen the in-house parking team and increase enforcement capacity to drive up parking compliance.

c. In the process of joining the pilot of the National Parking Payment Platform – a pilot funded by the Department for Transport to increase flexibility to customers on how they choose to pay for parking and remove the subsidy for Wycombe RingGo fees.

d. A review of our parking estate, which may result in disposal of non-profit making car parks.

e. Preparation in the making to support transition to a digital strategy for payment for parking, as cash payment machines reach the end of life.

Minutes:

Due to the arrangements made under legacy authorities, the parking service had historically been delivered through a split operating model - Off Street enforcement was delivered in house; On Street was outsourced. Following a Better Buckinghamshire Service Review an integrated parking service had been created which provided a more effective delivery model and aligned to national standards where parking enforcement for on and off street was delivered by one Council.

As a pre-cursor to the formulation of this strategy an informal review of the Parking Service was undertaken by a Member Working Group at the request of the Cabinet Member for Transport. The purpose of the review was to assess what potential improvements could be made to better serve the residents of Buckinghamshire and to address legacy inconsistencies and outputs from the review have informed the development of this Strategy.

Alongside the Parking Strategy there was also a public consultation on on/off-street parking which closed on 18 February 2024. This outlined proposals to make changes to the current parking orders in the whole of the County. A future Leader decision would be made on the outcome of this public consultation. Parking was a key issue for residents and the Council for several reasons; it provided income for an already stretched budget, it helped with enforcement of car parks and streets across the County included making the roads safer and in addition it helped with town centre regeneration and use of the Council’s assets.

The Parking Strategy set out the vision for parking in Buckinghamshire across four themes: Technology & Innovation, Parking Charges, Enforcement, and Parking Assets which were detailed in the report. In terms of technology and innovation the Council were considering joining the National Parking Platform and removing the subsidy for Wycombe RingGo fees. The National Parking Platform (NPP) was a pilot supported and funded by the Department for Transport, which created a platform to provide a better service to customers and at a reduced cost to the Council. It also brought in an element of competition and pricing advantage but also meant that residents could choose their own preferred parking platform. Cameras could also be used to deliver change and there could also be electronic advertising of parking spaces available. In terms of enforcement a benchmarking exercise had been undertaken to assess current performance particularly now patterns of work were back to normal following the pandemic. Last year the team issued 32,000 Fixed Penalty Notices. Town/Parish Councils, and Town Committees could also have more control over the enforcement of an area, such as dedicated patrols including input into what locations were patrolled at which times and on what days, there was the option for the Town/Parish Councils, and Town Committees to fund the cost of a dedicated resource. This would provide the flexibility for extra resources. The Service area would also look to increase the number of Civil Enforcement Officers by a minimum of 10 FTE.

In terms of car park assets and Council owned land it was important that there was a plan to ensure that all the car parks in Buckinghamshire worked well together and also that this was the best use of a Council asset. A financial review of the car parks was underway to determine which ones were best serving the community and which ones were running at a loss. The outcome would determine whether to retain a car park, repurpose, devolve, or dispose of either in full or in part. Some parking bays would be used for EV charging.

The Council had a range of parking payment machines many of which were more than 10 years old. The current annual cost for servicing and repairs was £220k per annum with further expense incurred for cash collection and bank charges. Following COVID, there had been an increase in customers choosing to pay by phone – 79% who previously paid by cash were now using alternative payment methods. It was recommended to transition towards digital payment methods only over time. As machines reached the end of life, they should not be replaced like for like and the Council should continue to and increase promotion of cashless and ultimately digital payment methods. This would not only reduce the costs of delivering the service but would also provide more consistency for customers and reflects societal trends.

The Cabinet Member thanked the Deputy Cabinet Member for Project Delivery, Dominic Barnes for his hard work on the Strategy, including the previous Deputy Cabinet Member David King.

During discussion the following points were noted:-

· There was no requirement to consult on the Parking Strategy just changes to the on/off street parking including hours of control required consultation. The consultation took place from 23 January to 18 February 2024. The consultation included stakeholders, residents and town and parish councils.

· A question was asked about the new parking arrangements at Winslow Station as there were no ticket machines at the station and whether parking could be paid for at the same time as purchasing a train ticket. There would be digital methods of payment at Winslow Car Park. An operator for the train line had not yet been chosen so it was difficult to guarantee any payment method currently but they would raise this with them once chosen. Another Member commented that residents might try and park close to the station e.g Greyhound Lane rather than paying. The Cabinet Member for Transport reported that parking prices did influence behaviour in terms of choice but also so did convenience. New fees would be introduced and regularised across the County.

· If machines were not working this could be a loss of income to the Council. The Cabinet Member for Transport reported that the team were out daily repairing machines. When machines were near their end of life parts were very difficult to get hold of. With any new machines suppliers should be able to get machines back on line as soon as possible and they should all be digital/contactless in the future. Residents should still be able to pay on other machines or payment methods including RingGo if a machine was out of order so there should be no loss of income. Charges remained in effect even if a machine or one payment method was out of use. They could also do this via a smart phone or by ringing through to RingGo. Machines were very expensive to replace.

· Reference was made to free parking in order to help businesses in towns and what parish or town councils could do. The Cabinet Member for Transport reported that a number of car parks were free for one hour and there was a local agreement with town and parish councils to pay the fee. If the Town and Parish Council were still interested in this they should contact the Parking Services Team who would provide them with the likely cost and parameters of providing free parking. Bespoke agreements could also be put in place for one off days e.g market day. Any arrangement would need to be cost neutral for the Council. All car parks would have the same number of free days to ensure consistency. The Cabinet Member for Communities reported that this issue should be raised at Community Boards and local members should be kept updated.

· Parking recovery had taken time post-covid and it was important to wait until parking patterns had settled down before any reviews were undertaken.

· Some older residents might need some help in the use of parking apps.

· Reference was made to two problem parking areas; Kingsbury Square Aylesbury and Hampden House Car Park which suffered from anti social behaviour and would be a good example of where regeneration was required. As a Chairman of a Community Board he was keen to use some of their funding for yellow lines near schools and to make sure they were enforced. Enforcement could only take place if restrictions were in place and the police could only enforce some restrictions e.g parking on verges. Parking teams carried out enforcement around schools regularly. With the new Moving Traffic Offences the Council could now enforce zig zag lines and also technology could be used for this area.

· Parking notifications could be used without incurring charges.