Fenland District Council set to take first step towards taking on parking enforcement across area's market towns

Fenland District Council looks set to spend £10,000 on a consultant to look at ways of clamping down on poor parking across the area.

A report Wednesday's (21) cabinet meeting is asking members to approve spending the money to appoint a specialist consultant to examine the possibility of introducing Civil Parking Enforcement (CPE) .

The work would support the development of a detailed business case for the move, which would see on-street parking enforcement switch from the police to the district council.

It would mean parking on double yellow lines would become a civil matter rather than criminal, but police would still be responsible for endorsable offences such as dangerous parking, obstruction and failure to follow police 'no parking' signs in emergency situations.

Those caught parking on zig-zag lines outside of schools and on single or double yellow lines would be subject to a penalty charge notice, with the income going to either the local highway and transport authority or to an appointed enforcement agent, which in this case would be Fenland Council, on behalf of the county council.

The report explains any surplus income from parking fines could be used to fund enforcement operations and is ring-fenced meaning it can only be spent on certain things such as parking provision, public transport or road improvements.

It also points out that approval would be needed from the Department for Transport before CPE can be introduced across Fenland and any application to the DfT would require a detailed business case to show how the set up costs, estimated to be around £200,000 and the on going running costs of just under £100,000 a year will be financed.

The report says funding for the implementation could come from the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.

Police, says the report, have limited resources to commit to street parking enforcement, adding: "Vehicle owners frequently park in a manner with total disregard to existing traffic regulation orders which prohibit parking or impose time restrictions."

The report asks cabinet members to approve the feasibility work by specialist CPE consultant and says officers have been in contact with RTA Associates Ltd, "distinguished" expert in the field, with more than 22 years experience and who has successfully implemented for 80 local authorities in the UK.

It continues: "Officers propose that the CPE specialist is asked to model the most cost-effective model balanced against effectiveness for the implementation of CPE enforcement within the Fenland area.

"The scope of works for consideration by the consultant shall deliberately exclude any consideration of car parking charges."

Fenland has 19 public car parks with 1,688 free parking spaces and the report says these are subject to frequent misuse including long-term storage of vehicles without tax or MOT, misuse of disabled parking bays and anti-social behaviour.

March Market Place is the only one of the council's car parks where fixed penalty notices are issued for overstaying the permitted time period. It currently costs around £8,700 a year or £116 per ticket to enforce with an income of around £2,600 from 70 to 80 fixed penalty notices. But the report says it is a deterrent.

The report says a review of all car parks would be needed to maximise the effectiveness of the introduction of an enforcement regime.

"Designated short and long stay car parks or zones within car parks would need to be allocated which could prove challenging in some of the market towns," it says.

If cabinet go with the officer recommendation to push for CPE powers, then it is likely to be at least three years before they are introduced says the report.

The report recommends members agree to a bid to the combined authority for capital funding for CPE feasibility and implementation works under the Growing Fenland programme.

It concludes that pending the outcome of the application for funding and the CPE feasibility works, Fenland asks the county council to undertake a signing and lining review of all existing Traffic Regulation Orders in support of a CPE application to the DfT.

This will be accompanied by a programme of statutory consultation with the police, neighbouring authorities, and other interested parties.