ANNUAL PARKING AND ENFORCEMENT REPORT 2008/2009

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 New Forest District Council is required to produce an annual report under Part 6
of the Traffic Management Act 2004. The Act became law on 31 March 2008
and this is this Council’s first report. The report sets out the financial and
statistical information concerning the Parking Enforcement Service, together with
additional information which the Council believe will be of interest to residents.
This is the first annual report, future reports will be able to build on the statistics
and financial information provided to allow comparisons to be made.

2. BACKGROUND

2.1 The District Council operates 50 car parks comprising of some 6000 spaces.
These are managed under the regulations set out in The District of New Forest
(Off Street Parking Places) Order 2005 (as amended). A copy of the Order, car
park locations and charges can be found on the Council’s web site
(www.newforest.gov.uk/parking).

2.2 Hampshire County Council have appointed New Forest District Council as it’s
agent for the enforcement of on street Traffic Regulation Orders (yellow lines).
The District covers an area of approximately 290 sq miles with a population of
173,000.

2.3 On 31 March 2008 the Traffic Management Act 2004 came into force, its biggest
impact being the introduction of differential charging (two tier penalty rates
depending on the offence).

3. POLICY BEHIND SERVICE PROVISION

3.1 The overarching transportation policies can be found in The District Council’s
Traffic Management Strategy which is available on the Council’s web site
(http://www.newforest.gov.uk/trafficmanagement). The Council manage it’s off
street car parks and undertakes on street enforcement in line with the Hampshire
County Council’s Local Transport Plan-New Forest Area Strategy. In essence
the strategy recognises the need to preserve the special nature of the area, as
well as recognising the importance of tourism and the part which the car plays in
personal mobility.

3.2 Off Street Car Parks

The Council has no statutory obligation to provide off street parking but does so
in order to:
• Maintain the economic viability of our Town/Village Centres.
• Enhance accessibility to residents and visitors alike, particularly important
in an area with relatively poor public transport links.
• Improve the safety and environment for pedestrians and motorists alike
by providing parking off the highway.
• Reduce the environmental impact of parked vehicles by providing an
alternative location other than the highway.
 3.3 On Street Enforcement

The Council acts as agent for Hampshire County Council for on street
enforcement in order to:
• Make best use of resources by combining the District Council’s off street
enforcement with the Highway Authority’s requirement to enforce on
street regulations.
• Minimise traffic congestion by reducing the number of vehicles parked in
contravention of Traffic Regulation Orders.
• Improve road safety by reducing the number of vehicles parked in
contravention of Traffic Regulation Orders.
• Assist residents by enforcing residents parking schemes.
• Increase the number of parking opportunities by enforcing limited waiting
areas.

4. ACTIVITY

4.1 Enforcement of on and off street parking regulations is achieved by Civil

Enforcement Officers (CEO’s) patrolling dedicated beats. In the financial year
2008/9, the Council employed 9 full time Civil Enforcement Officers and issued
9053 Penalty Charge Notices and 529 Warning Notices.

4.2 Between 1 October and 31 May each year a six day roster is worked. Between 1
June and 30 September a 7 day roster is worked. Due to a drafting error in
regulations made the by the Department of Transport, seasonal staff were not
employed in 2008. This error has now been amended and seasonal staff will be
employed in 2009.

Patrols Undertaken in financial year 2008/9

Location Number of Patrols Patrol Hours
On Street 23844 4946
Off Street 16080 4491

4.3 Penalty Charge Notice-Information concerning issue/cancellation.

The Council’s operational guidelines for the issue and cancellation of Penalty
Charge Notices are set out on its web site www.newforest.gov.uk/parking .

Penalty Charge/Warning Notice issue for period 1 April 2008 to 31March 2009
(correct at time of writing report)

Number PCNs issued at higher level 1979

Number PCNs issued at lower level 7074
Number PCNs paid 7395
Number PCNs paid at discounted rate 6567
Number PCNs against which informal 2325
challenge received
Number cancelled as result of informal 1432
challenge
Number against which a formal 275
representation has been received
Number cancelled as result formal 138
representation
Number cancelled for other reasons (e.g. 253
driver untraceable
Number Warning Notices issued 529

4.4 The Traffic Penalty Tribunal (TPT)

 The Traffic Penalty Tribunal provides an independent judicial process for
the hearing of appeals against the issue of Penalty Charge Notices. In
financial year 2008/09 3 appeals were lodged relating to PCNs issued by
New Forest District Council. These resulted in; one appeal being upheld;
one appeal being allowed; one was not contested by the Council.
Further information can be obtained concerning TPT on their web site
www.trafficpenalty.gov.uk.

The TPT annual report for 2007/2008 sets out a number of tables. One of
these indicates that out of 181 Councils, New Forest District Council
received the second lowest appeal rate per PCN issued. This reflects the
care that the Council takes when dealing with challenges and
representations trying to ensure that the concerns raised by motorists are
carefully considered on an individual basis.

4.5 Administration

Table giving details of correspondence activity.

1/4/07 to 31/3/2008 1/4/2008 to 31/3/2009

All Correspondence answered 92% 74%
with14 days of receipt
Pre Notice To Owner (NTO) 94% 80%
correspondence answered
with14 days of receipt
Post NTO Correspondence 80% 64%
answered with14 days of
receipt
Total number correspondence 4544 3799
received

On the 31/3/2008 new regulations came into force under the Traffic Management
Act 2004. This inevitably meant some delay in dealing with correspondence as
staff became familiar with the new regulations and all outgoing correspondence
had to be revised to reflect this. This period of adjustment has now passed and
the target for 2009/10 is that 80% of correspondence will be fully answered within
14 days. It should be borne in mind that considerable research and evidence
collection is required when answering post NTO correspondence.

5. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

5.1 The Parking Account

As a local authority which operates Civil Parking Enforcement, the Council is

required to keep an account of all of its income and expenditure in connection
with its on-street charging and its on-street and off-street enforcement activities.
These finances are governed by Section 55 (as amended) of the Road Traffic
Regulation Act 1984.

The legislation sets out provisions for dealing with any deficits or surpluses in the
enforcement account, which excludes all income from off street car parks except
income from Penalty Charge notices. Any deficit is to be made good out of the
authority’s general fund, whilst a surplus can either be carried forward in the
account to the next financial year, or it can be used to carry out specific projects
for one of the following purposes:

5.1.1 Repaying the general fund of any amount charged to it as a result of a

deficit accrued in the enforcement account over the last 4 years.
 5.1.2 Meeting all or any of the cost of the provision and maintenance by the
local authority of new off-street parking provision.

5.1.3 If it appears to the local authority that the provision in their area of further
off-street parking accommodation is unnecessary or undesirable, any
surplus can be used for the following purposes -

(a) Meeting costs incurred, whether by the local authority or by some

other person, in the provision or operation of, or of facilities for,
public passenger transport services, and

(b) The purposes of a highway or road improvement project in the

local authority’s area.

5.2 New Forest District Council’s Parking Enforcement Account

(Kept under Section 55 of the Road traffic Act1884 as amended by the Traffic
Management Act 2005)

INCOME £
Penalty Charges-Off street 101,841
Penalty Charges-On street 107,476
Residents Permits 4,083
Dispensations issued 2,108
Total income 215,508
EXPENDITURE
Employee (business unit allocated costs) 407,332
Premises (business unit allocated costs) 237,734
Supplies & Services (business unit 17,203
allocated costs)
Support Services (business unit allocated 58,895
costs)
Capital financing 12,494
Total allocated expenditure 733,661
Deficit 528,153
5.3 New Forest District Council Parking Management Accounts

On Street Parking Account

INCOME £
Penalty Charge Notices(on street) 107,476
Residents parking permits 3,428
Dispensations 2,108
Total income 113,012
EXPENDITURE
Employee Costs 132,174
Supplies and Services 14,477
Support services 24,132
Capital Financing? 11,784
Total Expenditure 182,567
Deficit 69,555

Off Street Parking Account.

INCOME £
Meter Income (town and amenity) 1,290,267
Clock Income (long and short stay) 568,237
Hythe Market 42,587
Amenity Permits 72,318
Other (licence fees/boat storage etc) 17,889
Penalty Charge Notices(on street) 101,841
Total income 2,093,138
EXPENDITURE
Employee Costs 456,604
Supplies and Services 277,144
Support services 53,486
Capital Financing 21,200
Total Expenditure 808,433
Surplus 1,284,705

Overall Parking Account

INCOME £
Meter Income (town and amenity) 1,290,267
Clock Income (long and short stay) 568,237
Hythe Market 42,587
Amenity Permits 72,318
Other (licence fees/boat storage etc) 17,889
Penalty Charge Notices(over all) 209,317
Residents parking permits 4,083
Dispensations 2,108
Total income 2,206,806
EXPENDITURE
Employee Costs 588,778
Supplies and Services 291,621
Support services 77,618
Capital Financing? 32,984
Total Expenditure 991,001
Surplus 1,215,805

5.4 Comments on Parking Account

 Because the Council has such a wide area to cover and does not charge for on
street parking or have large scale residents parking schemes, it’s on street
parking account is always likely to be in deficit. The Council believes that
enforcement is a Traffic Management activity rather than a revenue raising one.
However, overall, the Council’s parking service made surplus of £1.2m in
financial year 2008/9. This surplus was transferred to the Council’s general
funds which pay towards such facilities as concessionary fares for the disabled
as well as younger and older people.

5.5 Parking Clock Scheme.

Since 2004 the Council has operated an off street parking clock scheme. In
2008, 40,571 short stay clocks were sold and 3484 long stay clocks. The clocks
cost £10pa for short stay clocks and £80pa for long stay clocks. Full details of
the clock scheme can be found on the Councils web site
www.newforest.gov.uk/parking. Clocks can be obtained via telephone, the
Council’s web site, Council Recreation Centres, local offices, Visitor Information
Centres and at Brockenhurst and Burley Post offices.

5.6 Level of off street charges

In March 2009 the Planning and Transportation Review Panel considered a

report which compared parking charges in the District with those in neighbouring
and similar authorities. The report stated that meter charges in the District were
broadly in line with neighbouring councils but the clock scheme gave motorists
the opportunity to park long and short stay at a cost substantially lower than
neighbouring Councils.

6. SERVICE DEVELOPMENTS

6.1 The Customer Services action plan for 2009-12 sets out the key service
development targets for the Parking Service. For 2009 the key developments
are set out below.

6.2 Enforcement

6.2.1 Schools

Safety outside of schools is a major concern and this was reinforced

following representation from the Association of Town and Parish
Councils. In order to tackle this concern the Transportation Group are in
the process of ensuring that all “Zig Zag” lines outside schools are backed
by a Traffic Regulation Order allowing them to be enforced by Civil
Enforcement Officers. Enforcement staff will give priority to the
enforcement of regulations outside schools. However, given that there
are 68 state schools in the District, this will inevitably be on a reactive
basis.

6.2.2 Enforcement of Dropped Footways (dropped kerb).

The Department of Transport have recently published Regulations

clarifying the Council’s powers to serve Penalty Charge Notices to those
who park in a manner which obstructs dropped footways. The parking of
vehicles in front of dropped footways is a cause of concern and the
Council welcomes the opportunity to issue penalties to those who park in
this inconsiderate manner. The regulations relating to dropped footways
which form an access to property are complex to enforce. The occupier
of a property can legally park in front of the dropped footway to their
property or give permission for a motorist to do so. This pragmatic
 approach is necessary to assist residents but does mean Civil
Enforcement Officers will only issue PCNs in residential locations if a
problem has been reported by a householder.

6.2.3 Out of Hours Patrolling.

During the course of the year concerns have been raised relating to the
level of enforcement in certain on-street “hot spot” locations. In order to
try and alleviate these concerns out of hours patrolling will be undertaken
in 2009 and during the summer a split shift system introduced for
seasonal patrol staff. All out of hours patrols will “target” particular
problem areas.

6.2.4 Off Street Car Parks.

During the course of 2009 the Council intends to introduce the facility to
allow motorists to pay for parking by mobile phone. This will give the
motorist the ability to use a credit/debit card for payment, to “top up”
parking time where permitted and to receive text reminders when paid
parking time is coming to an end. An automated telephone service is also
being introduced for the payment of parking fines.

6.4.5 Lymington Parking Study.

At the instigation of the Planning and Transportation Scrutiny Panel the

above study is being undertaken in 2009. The study will assess the
future parking needs of Lymington and consider how those needs should
be met. The study will focus on the peak holiday periods and busy market
days.

7. CONCLUSION

7.1 The Parking Service is one of the most high profile services operated by the
Council and the service developments proposed will enhance the service
provided for the public. Parking makes an overall contribution to the Council’s
finances which go towards the provision of such transport related activities as the
concessionary fares scheme. On-street enforcement is undertaken on behalf of
Hampshire County Council, in support of their Traffic Management Plans. The
District Council will continue to provide off street car parks to help ensure the
economic viability of our towns and villages and as a service to visitors and
residents alike.