Archived decisions

Contact: Jonathan Crabb, ext 6047 email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 The following decision is sought:

That New Forest District Council be informed that, with regard to parking charges in off-street car parks controlled by the district council, consent is given in accordance with Section 39(3) of the Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984 to introduce a scheme for parking in District Council owned car parks, subject to the following conditions:

(i) the payment clock system be permitted for 12 months only, from January 2005;

(ii) the charge for the parking clock be increased to £6 for the period January 2005 to December 2005;

(iii) that a working group be set up to consider the future of parking charges in the New Forest and East Hampshire areas.

2. Reason

2.1 This decision supports Aim 3 (Achieving Economic Prosperity) by enabling the District Council better to manage the throughput of vehicles in its car parks, which assists local businesses and the retail sector.

2.2 New Forest District Council introduced off-street car parking charges in January 2004, with payment either through a meter in the car park or through a clock system. The County Council had reservations about the level of charge for the `clock' payment method and therefore granted a temporary consent only. An extension to this consent has been requested.

3. Other Options Considered and Rejected

3.1 Rejecting the application for an extension of the parking clock scheme.

4. Conflicts of Interest Declared by the Decision Maker or Other Executive Member Consulted - None.

5. Dispensation granted by the Standards Committee - Not applicable.

6. Reason(s) for the Matter being dealt with if Urgent - Not applicable.

Approved by: Date:

Councillor K B Estlin

7. Background

7.1 In November 2003 New Forest District Council was given consent to introduce car parking charges in off-street car parks. This has taken the form of both metering through the purchase of a ticket from a machine, and the use of parking clocks, which can be purchased for £5 for the year. These clocks then allow the user to park in any District Council car park without incurring further charges. The user is still restricted on the length of stay, which varies depending on the restrictions within the car park.

7.2 The County Council had reservations about the level of charge under the clock system in relation to the objectives of the New Forest Transport Strategy, and therefore the permission to introduce the clock system was limited to 12 months.

7.3 New Forest District Council is proposing to seek decriminalised on- and off-street parking enforcement in 2005/06.

8. Review Process

8.1 The clock system has now been in place for six months. The District Council is preparing the arrangements for the clock system, which could be in place from January 2005, and has asked the County Council to review the permission for the clock system.

8.2 In approving the temporary consent for the initial 12 months the County Council stated that it needed to be assured that the clock system addressed the following points:

(i) the charges are consistent with national and local policy objectives, in particular relating to the encouragement of travel by modes other than the private car;

(ii) the charging system should reflect the cost of provision and its management should not result in the costs being borne by the council tax payer;

(iii) the charges should be introduced on a consistent basis and compare favourably with those existing in other surrounding authorities; and

(iv) the distribution arrangements for the clock should ensure that it is available to all users of the car parks.

8.3 These criteria are still relevant to the review of the system which this report deals with, which are discussed below.

Principles of the Clock System

8.4 The results of the report prepared for the District Council by consultants prior to the introduction of charges established that the vast majority of residents were in favour of a return to a system providing them with a free permit or clock style system for residents, with increased charges for tourists. It would appear that the majority of the clocks purchased to date have been bought by residents, rather than visitors.

8.5 The clock system provides parking to purchasers of a clock at a significantly reduced cost when compared to the actual cost of using the meter system, with charges of either 30 pence or 50 pence per hour.

8.6 The County Council agrees with the introduction of parking charges. However the principle of a clock system which provides a substantially reduced cost for parking for those wishing to purchase a clock should be thoroughly reviewed against local policy objectives prior to giving it permanent consent.

Transport Patterns

8.7 The consultants for the District Council undertook surveys of the car parks in 2003 which provided a baseline level on which to assess the impacts of charging within all the car parks. These surveys will be repeated this year.

8.8 As the system has only been in operation since the start of the year it is not realistic to expect a noticeable modal shift towards non-car modes, as a direct result of the car park charges. Parking charges are only one cost that is borne by the motorist, and therefore it is difficult to demonstrate the direct impact of charging on levels of use.

8.9 Whilst there is a need to be consistent with national policies and stated aims within the New Forest Transport Strategy, which seek to bring about a change in travel behaviour, it is recognised that many residents within the New Forest are dependent on the use of a private car, with limited opportunities in some areas to use public transport. This current level of charge is unlikely to have a significant impact on demand management or modal choice.

8.10 The scheme also provides a mechanism for better management of off-street car parks and particularly better enforcement of waiting restrictions, and gives the District Council a legislative platform for decriminalisation.

Number of Clocks Sold

8.11 Up to 20 April 2004 58,040 parking clocks have been sold, with a peak in sales during December 2003 and January 2004. The number being sold has now slowed down considerably, which indicates that the majority of those sold have been bought by residents. As the data available so far does not cover the busiest holiday periods, the potential take up by visitors is as yet unknown. No information on the residence of the purchaser is recorded when buying the clock, to enable administration costs to be kept to a minimum.

8.12 As a full year's data on the system is not available at this time, this interim review has no firm basis on which to make a decision on providing a permanent consent for the clock system.

Adjacent Local Authorities Charges

8.13 All adjacent local authorities charge for car parking. In Test Valley an annual season ticket costs £530, whilst in Christchurch the charge is £180 for residents, £290 for non-residents and £60 for shoppers.

8.14 The £5 clock fee in the New Forest is low in comparison with charges in surrounding authorities. In effect, this charge is being subsidised by the standard charges payable in the car parks.

Availability of the Parking Clock

8.15 The clock scheme is open to all, but the District Council's target customers are residents and those who work or visit the towns/villages on a regular basis. There is a good spread of locations and opening times throughout the district which sell the clocks, and the District Council considers there to be opportunities to increase the number of locations where the clocks are sold.

8.16 Originally there were laminated posters placed at strategic points in the car parks, setting out the details of the clock scheme to improve awareness. It is the District Council's intention to improve this by placing more detailed information notices adjacent to ticket machines.

8.17 Within the objective of minimising the costs of distribution, the availability of the clocks would appear to have met the requirement to ensure a ready provision to users of the car parks.

Level and Equity of Charge for the Clock

8.18 Before implementation of the parking clocks, the District Council commissioned consultants to carry out a study relating to parking charges. The vast majority of consultees stated that either a £5 or £7.50 charge for the clock would be reasonable, although the majority of these favoured £5.

8.19 The current charge of £5 for the clock is not primarily designed to encourage drivers to consider using alternative modes of transport. There was a concern that charges could encourage parking outside the car parks, to avoid paying the charge. With the District Council considering adopting responsibility for on-street enforcement through decriminalisation, there is a potential remedy should this problem arise.

8.20 New Forest District Council proposes that the charge for the clock should be increased to £6 during the additional 12 month permission, so that it contributes towards the overall objectives of the New Forest Transport Strategy. The role and effectiveness of parking charges would be considered as part of the overall New Forest Transport Strategy in the development of the second Local Transport Plan.

Financial Implications

8.21 The £5 charge per clock, together with the income generated from the meters, is sufficient to pay for additional enforcement and means that the car park account now shows a surplus of £50,779 (as of 29 February 2004) instead of the former deficit. The car park metering itself has generated a total of £154,623 so far this year (up to 12 April).

8.22 The District Council is considering a modest increase in price from £5 to £6 to cover lower than expected contributions from the County Council towards the introduction of decriminalised parking enforcement.

9. Conclusion

9.1 The parking clock system has been in operation since January 2004, with over 58,000 clocks being sold. As a full year's data on the system is not yet available, this interim review has no firm basis on which to make a decision on providing a permanent consent for the clock system.

9.2 The District Council's car park account is now in credit, which would indicate that there was not a demand on the council tax to support car parking.

9.3 In the interim it is recommended that a further 12 months' consent be given from January 2005, so that there would be a full year's data and the County Council will be in better a position to fully review the clock system and recommend a permanent way forward for the scheme. This will be taken forward as part of parking charges in the New Forest within the context of the development of the second Local Transport Plan.

20/JC