Agenda item

Consideration was given to report of the Head of Community Services.

The Team Manager Built Infrastructure presented the report which provided an update on Civil Parking Enforcement (CPE) for the period 1^st November, 2020 to 31^st September, 2021.

The Officer spoke to the report and highlighted points contained therein.  He said notwithstanding the effects of the Covid pandemic, the CPE operation was performing in line with the agreed business case model.

A Member referred to the 95% collection rate of PCN’s, and asked what action was being taken to recover the remaining 5%.

The Officer said there was a process in place to recover unpaid PCN’s but this had been suspended during the Covid pandemic.

The Member also asked how the number of PCN’s issued in Blaenau Gwent compared with other Local Authorities.

The Officer said he was unable to provide a comparison with other LA’s, but stated that the service operated in line with the agreed business case model.  There were no targets set for the Enforcement Officers as they could only issue PCN’s when they witnessed illegal parking, where traffic regulation orders were in place. 

In response to a further question the Officer explained that if a vehicle was parked on a pavement with ‘yellow lines’ in place then a PCN would be issued.  However, if a vehicle was parked on a pavement and causing obstruction, but there were no ‘yellow lines’ then this would be referred to the Police.

A Member said would he have liked greater detail on the Council’s communication with the Police in relation to pavement parking.

A Member asked what health and safety procedures were in place to protect Enforcement Officers operating alone.

The Officer explained that Caerphilly CBC had a lone working policy which required supervisors to check in with staff, and there were no lone working patrols undertaken in the evenings.  He also confirmed that Enforcement Officers had radio connection to local staff whilst out on patrols.

Another Member said he would have liked a breakdown of PCN’s issued within Nantyglo and Blaina.  He then referred to Section 2.14 of the report which stated that the Council should identify areas where pavement parking should be tolerated, and asked whether this work was currently being undertaken and if funding was available from Welsh Government to undertake this work.

The Officer undertook to provide a more detailed breakdown of the figures.  In relation to pavement parking, he pointed out that there was a significant amount of areas within the Borough where pavement parking could be tolerated.  However, the guidance on how we set this legislation was still awaited from Welsh Government.  He said there were concerns as to how it would be enforced and a consistent approach with other areas was preferred.  In terms of funding he was not aware of any further funding being made available.

A discussion ensued regarding parking problems at a number of primary schools within the Borough.

The Officer confirmed that an application for funding had been submitted and a scheme at Georgetown Primary School was being considered.

A Member stressed the urgency of the TRO review for Tredegar Town Centre as traders were concerned that parking in the town centre was impacting on footfall and business.

In response the Officer explained that a scheme had been designed for Tredegar Town Centre to address the concerns of local businesses, however, colleagues within Regeneration were currently considering a longer term plan for the Centre and the TRO review had been put on hold pending the outcome of this work.  However, he undertook to liaise with Regeneration Officers regarding this matter.

A further discussion ensued regarding parking problems at schools and the Officer urged Members to report issues.  He also confirmed that a meeting was scheduled at Bryn Bach School later in the week to discuss whether further measures could be introduced.

A Member referred to Table 3 within the report and asked whether this included the misuse of blue badges.

The Officer explained that this came under the remit of Social Services as Enforcement Officers did not have the information available to check eligibility of blue badge holders.

Another Member expressed concern regarding the impact of illegal parking on bus routes and timetables.

The Officer confirmed that a more proactive approach was now in place around bus routes and complaints were responded to in a more timely manner.

In response to a question raised by a Member regarding consultation with the public the Officer confirmed that consultation was undertaken when traffic orders were introduced, and consultation had also commenced on a number of new schemes.  Feedback from consultation on individual traffic orders would not be reported to Scrutiny as there was a statutory process in place.

Another Member expressed concern with the level of Enforcement Officers within Blaenau Gwent and questioned whether the Council were getting ‘value for money’.

The Officer assured that discussions were ongoing with Caerphilly CBC but recruitment in this area was difficult.  Unfortunately, there were only two Officers in post so any sickness absence did impact on the service.

The Committee AGREED to recommend that the report be accepted and the latest annual progress update relating to Civil Parking Enforcement (CPE) since its introduction in 2019 and the current business case model be accepted. (Option A)