Fear changes to parking will harm town centres

This change from the current joined up approach where both on and off-street enforcement is operated by the district council and on behalf of WCC, to one where off-street car park enforcement being delivered by the district and the enforcement of on-street pay and display machines, resident parking permits and on-street regulations is delivered by a contractor employed by WCC, seems to have gone under the radar.

The reasons for bringing this to reader’s attention is the concern that the local chambers of trade have about such a move and the lack of consultation and dialogue that we have been able to have with WCC on this matter which we believe is of interest not only to businesses but also to every resident and user of our town centres.

When DPE was introduced in Warwick district in 2007 the chambers of trade and local resident groups were actively consulted with and worked closely with both WDC and WCC officers to establish a scheme that would balance the competing demands and requirements of residents, businesses and visitors to our town centres.

By and large that approach worked and that dialogue with WCC and WDC has continued over the years. It has resulted in changes to the way on and off-street parking is organised including the introduction of Pay on Exit in two of our main car park, parity between on and off-street charging and more recently the introduction of linear charging, all of which have helped support the town centre. That dialogue has continued with WDC and we are pleased to note that there are no plans to increase off-street charges in the current round of fees and charges.

We have not enjoyed that same dialogue with WCC even though the county has for the last year been considering what has the potential of bringing about a significant change in the way parking enforcement is delivered across Warwick district.

We understand the need for WCC to find £92m savings over the next five years from their revenue budget. That fact was clearly in their minds when WCC voted through the proposal to externalise the service as the report considered by their members highlighted a potential saving of up to £1m, or 48 per cent saving on the current cost of delivering on-street parking enforcement across Warwickshire of £2.35m.

Whilst we might not understand all the costs associated with the delivery of the service as local business people we would question how such a large saving can be achieved on what is a service that has been operating for over five years without there being a reduction in the level and quality of the service that is provided.

The chamber has tried over the last six months to engage with WCC officers and members on this issue and to explain that we believe the current joined up working arrangements work well.

Our fear is that there will be significant reduction in the quality and service to be delivered which will impact on the town centres. Some reassurance has been given about building quality into the contract and increasing enforcement in other parts of the county where enforcement is considered to be poor but that is only likely to increase the cost of delivering the service.

If the savings that WCC believe are achievable are not delivered when the tenders come in then WCC will look at the other side of the equation and increase on-street charges and the cost of residents parking permits and that the focus of the contractor will be on issuing as many PCNs as possible rather than focus on making sure pay and display machines are working. If that were to happen people would be discouraged in visiting the town centres and the vitality and viability of the town centres will suffer.

The decision has now been made and we will have to live with the outcomes. What we trust is that at this late stage WCC will listen to our views about how best to deliver parking enforcement so that whoever provides that service continues to provide a service that meets the competing needs of residents, businesses and visitors.

We will be scrutinising the impact of this decision on the quality and level of service provided, seek information from WCC to the actual savings achieved from externalising the service and monitor what happens to the £3.4m of on-street income which is currently generated across Warwickshire.

Sue Butcher, chairman Warwick Chamber of Trade, Parminder Birdi, chairman Leamington Chamber of Trade