BOROUGH OF POOLE
ECONOMY OVERVIEW & SCRUTINY COMMITTEE
24 SEPTEMBER 2009
REPORT OF THE HEAD OF TRANSPORTATION SERVICES
CAR PARKING CHARGES STRATEGY
PART OF THE PUBLISHED FORWARD PLAN - NO
STATUS –SERVICE DELIVERY
1 / Purpose1.1 / This report provides Members of the Economy Overview and Scrutiny Group with further information on proposals for a three-year pricing strategy for car parking charges (2010/2011 – 2013/14), including changes to administration of permits, advertising and consultation.
Members should note thatthe Council’s Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) assumes that Parking Fee income will increase on a recurring basis by £250k per annum. This is subject to annual reviews as the MTFP is updated each year in the context of the council’s changing financial circumstances.
2 / Decision Required
2.1 / Members are asked to agree in principle to the issues raised within the report being applied when developing the three-year strategy and that the content of this report be used as the basis for the pricingrecommendationsbased on views developed at the July EOS meeting to thenbe considered by the Transportation Advisory Group at its meeting on 8 October 2009.
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3.5 /
Background
The current year (2008/09) car parking charges leaflet is provided in Appendix 1.At the Economy Overview and Scrutiny meeting held on 16 July 2009, Members considered a number of principles to be adopted in the development of a three-year car parking charges strategy. At the meeting, Members gave their views on the principles and asked that they be taken into account when finalising the proposals. Appendix 2 provides the July EOS report.
Members also requested that a further report be presented to this Group, prior to the proposals being considered by the Transportation Advisory Group on 8 October 2009.
Members are reminded that a recommendation to consider a three-year pricing strategy for parking charges was approved at Transportation Advisory Group meeting held on 8 January 2009. For the first time the summary proposals for changes to parking charges will have been devised in the context of a medium term three year timescale.
Members of the Transportation Advisory Group have been invited to attend this meeting. Similarly, Members of the Economy Overview and Scrutiny Group are also invited to attend the meeting of the Transportation Advisory Group on 8 October 2009 when recommendations regarding parking charges will be considered in detail.4 / Summary of Views and Resultant Strategy
4.1 / Key Stakeholder Consultation
Members asked for extensive consultation to take place with key stakeholders. Consultation took place with the:
- Town Centre Manager
- Dolphin Shopping Centre Manager
- Tourism Management Board
- Leisure Services
Poole and District Chamber of Trade and Commerce and the Town Centre Management Board were also invited to comment on the summary of proposals.
A detailed account of the consultation will be outlined in the report that will be considered by the Transportation Advisory Group. The views of stakeholders have been useful and where possibletaken into account when finalising the proposals.
4.2 / Public Park and Ride
Following comments received from Members, the proposals include a recommendation that the Park and Ride facilities be developed in future.
The Creekmoor Park and Ride site is only used for a public Park and Ride service on the four Saturdays leading up to Christmas. However it is in continual partnership use on Mondays to Fridays, with approximately 150 cars per day. The main users are Poole NHS Trust employees, with their minibus service operating via Wimborne Road to the main hospital entrance.
In addition two employers use this for car pooling schemes, an arrangement which is currently being considered with other major employers, such as Sunseeker.
The introduction of a full time public Park and Ride at Creekmoor is constantly under review. However there are a number of factors to be considered in this respect, including:
(a)The economic conditions in the Town Centre must be sufficiently strong to accept the increases in parking charges necessary to encourage commuters / visitors out to the Park and Ride
(b)Acceptance of the business case that a Park and Ride will inevitably for the first few years have an adverse impact on the Councils finances, given the need to keep charges reasonable to encourage use, the cost of running a regular bus service, and the loss of income from those displaced from the more expensive Town Centre spaces
(c)The fact that there is still currently capacity within the Town Centre car parks makes the case for providing additional spaces more difficult to justify.
The Mannings Heath Park & Ride site is reserved in the Development Plan, but operation before 2015 is unlikely. The general Park & Ride provision across the conurbation shall no doubt be considered in developing the SED multi modal strategy which itself will be debated at future group meetings.
4.3 / Permits, Season Tickets and Car Parking Charges Linked to Vehicle Emissions
A resident permit scheme linked to vehicle emissions is proposed as a means of encouraging residents to purchase smaller more “environmentally friendly” vehicles. The proposed scheme recommends higher permit charges for those vehicles that have higher emissions.
Members suggested that consideration should also be given to extending the scheme to season tickets, other permits and daily fees payable in the car parks. However with the exception of residents, linking permits, season tickets and daily fees to vehicle emissions is not recommended because of the inconvenience to customers and the additional administration that would be involved.
Unlike resident parking permits or residents’ beach concessionary season tickets, there are no residency or vehicle keepership checks when issuing a season ticket and other permits. If season tickets/other permits were linked to vehicle emissions, a new system would need to be introduced to check vehicle details before the season ticket/other permit was issued. This is not considered viable given the increased administration, the considerable delay in processing times and costs (there are over 4000 season tickets issued per annum excluding other permits).
It is possible to check a vehicle’s emission ratings on exiting the car park using ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition), which could be linked to DVLA records. However the cost of ANPR would be in the region of £40,000.
4.4 / Increases in Resident Permits
Members suggested that there should not be an increase in resident parking permits charges. An increase in permit charges will be required if a scheme linked to vehicle emissions is approved since the aim is to discourage residents from purchasing vehicles with higher emissions by having higher permit charges.
If linking resident permit charges to vehicle emissions is not approved, then to avoid significant price increases in future, a series of small step changes are proposed over the three-year strategy. Members are reminded that the cost of a resident parking permit at £40 has remained unchanged for 2 years and represents good value for money taking into account the parking provision it provides for residents. Costs are also competitive with neighbouring authorities with a resident parking permit costing £50, £49.50 and £60 in Bournemouth, Weymouth and Dorset County respectively.
4.5 / Season Ticket and Permit Charges
Members are asked to note that the cost of season tickets and permits has fallen considerably below market value over time taking into account the parking concessions offered. Therefore higher charges are considered appropriate and will be recommended as part of the three year pricing strategy. Members have previously indicated that charges should at least cover the cost of administering/enforcing the scheme.
Members are advised that the overall cost of administering and enforcing permit schemes is currently covered by the income received from the sale of permits and season tickets. This calculation was done based on a proportion of overheads, processing costs and enforcement time. If permit charges were not increased, then the position would be reached where the cost of administration and enforcement permit schemes would not be covered by the income received. The proposal on pricing shall safeguard against this position.
4.6 / Green Road Car Park
Members were concerned about the under utilisation of Green Road Car Park.
The car park previously had 25 spaces and residents could buy permits that allowed them to park at any time. There was a waiting list for permits and so eligibility was restricted to those residents living close to the car park.
The expansion of the nearby Old Town First School meant that some space was made available for school staff during the school day. This decisionwas made via this Group with the layout of the car park subsequently changed to create an additional 5 spaces. This means there are now 30 spaces in total and these are allocated as follows:
- 11 spaces for resident permit holders only at any time,
- 19 spaces available for residents with permits for 4 pm – 8 am Monday to Friday, all day Saturday and Sunday and anytime outside school term
4.7 / Blue Badge Holders
There are over 230 parking spaces reserved for Blue Badge Holders. Currently free parking is provided for disability tax-exempt vehicles in both off street and on street parking bays. Blue Badge holders can park free up to a maximum 3 hours (with 4th hour payable) in on-street parking spaces only. Both disability tax exempt vehicles and Blue Badge holders are required to pay the applicable charge in multi story car parks.
Some Members indicated that free parking should be provided in all car parks for Blue Badge holders. However the pay on foot arrangements in multi story car parks does not facilitate free parking for any class of vehicle since payment is required before exiting. To provide free parking for tax-exempt vehicles and Blue Badge holders would require the parking office to be staffed 24/7 since verification of eligibility for free parking would be required. The costs of this are considerable.
There are over 9,000 Blue Badge holders resident in the Borough of Poole. Providing free season tickets would result in a loss in parking income with resultant additional increases elsewhere. To minimise the risk of potential abuse and misuse, additional administrative systems would also be required to ensure a Blue Badge holder was genuinely using the free season ticket.
Members are asked to note that providing parking for Blue Badge holders is not about an individual’s ability to pay, but is aimed at improving accessibility for persons with a disability. The Blue Badge scheme and associated criteria used in determining an applicant’s eligibility are determined nationally. The Parking Service continues to monitor use of Blue Badges over time.
Providing a free season ticket or free parking for Blue Badge holders and tax-exempt vehicles in multi story car parks is not recommended. However offering free parking to Blue Badge holders in off street surface car parks will be included within the proposals. It is hoped that in providing this concession, Blue Badge holders will be encouraged to park in the surface off street car parks instead of on yellow lines where the risk of causing an obstruction and congestion is greatest and where they may also be at personal risk.
4.8 / Permit Administration
At the last meeting, Members were advised that as an efficiency it was intended to cease provision for personal callers (who had a parking enquiry) visiting the Civic Centre reception. Instead, parking customers will be advised that all contact must be in writing, by telephone and/or online. This would be advertised in the leaflet and on the Council’s website.
Permit applications are not currently dealt with on the same day but applicants can leave documents and forms at the Civic Centre reception, and when their application is processed the permits are posted. To make the process more accessible and easier for customers, a system of on-line permit applications is being considered.
Given these new arrangements there was some concern from Members that by stopping personal callers, those without access to the Internet or a computer would be disadvantaged. In these exceptional cases, a parking officer would therefore be available to deal with the enquiry through the Civic Centre reception on an appointment basis. Members are reminded that all enquiries relating to the issue of a Penalty Charge Notice must be in writing for audit and legal purposes.
4.9 / Benchmarking
Extensive benchmarking was undertaken as part of the proposals for the 2009/2010 price changes. This included Bournemouth, Southampton, Exeter, Salisbury and Swindon. The data is shown in Appendix 3.
Whilst it was suggested that benchmarking with other authorities, particularly Bournemouth, had little merit, comparisons are useful in ensuring that the charges in Borough of Poole continue to be competitive. Therefore reference to the data collected for the 2009/2010 proposals has been made when developing the proposals for the three-year pricing strategy.
4.10 / Beach and Boat Launching Fees
Increases of over 5% will be proposed for fees/permits to launch a boat and also non-resident beach permits. Taking into account the parking concessions offered even with the proposed price increase, the cost of the permit and fees continue to represent good value for money.
4.11 / Short Term Parking
Some town centre car parks (not multi-storey car parks) offer 30 minutes parking at a cost of 40p. The proposals would not include free parking as this would work against our policy for sustainable transport provision but would include only a minimal increase of 10p for short stay duration.
4.12 / District Car Parks
Maximum stay restrictions currently apply in two district car parks (Commercial Road and Story Lane). It was suggested that the proposals include the introduction of maximum stay restrictions in other District Car Parks. However this is not supported because of the potential to create displacement to the surrounding roads and the inevitable complaints from residents who may wish to request more on-street controls as a result.
Only minimal price increases are being proposed for the daily fees in District Car Parks to encourage visitors and support local business in the area.
4.13 / Daily Fees
- At the July Economy Overview & Scrutiny meeting there were two proposals outlined for daily fees. The first proposal outlines a series of price changes in accordance with the current tariff structure. The second proposal details a new tariff structure based on a fixed hourly rate. The latter proposal has the benefit of offering greater flexibility for customers who will be able to purchase parking time by the hour and for this reason, although itself still subject to final financial assessment, it is likely to be recommended as the preferred tariff to TAG in October.
- Minimal increases of 10p are being proposed for short stay durations with slightly higher price increases for longer stay parking e.g. over 4 hours. The exception to this is the beach car parks where increases will be greater for the summer tariff only.
- No changes are proposed to the categorisation of the car parks i.e. beach, town and district, although bringing the charges and tariff structure for all town centre car parks in line including the multi story car parks and on street parking bays will be recommended. This is because town centre car parks offer the same levels of accessibility and charges should therefore be consistent.
- In order to retain the town’s growing evening economy, the proposals do not recommend any changes to the times of the evening tariff of 6 pm to 8 am when cheaper parking charges apply.
- There is no proposal to change the summer and winter tariff times, which commence on 1 May and 1 October respectively.
- To support the Borough of Poole’s tourism economy, increase in charges or introduction of new charges for coach parking will not be proposed.
5 / Financial Implications
5.1
5.2
5.3 / The Council’s Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) currently includes a provision for an extra £250k of Parking Fee income to be raised each year. Additional revenue raised from parking charges significantly helps to reduce the revenue costs of Transportation Services. If the MTFP targets were not met the resulting pressure would have to be offset through either further expenditure savings or alternative income streams.
A detailed analysis has been undertaken to determine the impact of the proposed three-year pricing strategy and this will be outlined in more detail in the report that will be presented to the Transportation Advisory Group. Members are reminded that if the new hourly tariff structure is recommended and approved at the Transportation Advisory Group meeting, determining the impact on parking income will be more difficult than usual due to the lack of historical data. It should also be noted that forecasting increases in income as a result of price increases in parking charges is also affected by external influences such as poor summer and a possible fall in usage. These factors will be taken into account when determining the likely financial outcome.
The VAT windfall for 2009/10 was estimated to be £47,000. Assuming VAT rates change back to 17.5% on 31st December 2009 then this windfall will be lost in 2009/10. This will create an underlying pressure on the base budget and proposed price increases will need to take this into account for future years.
6 / Legal Implications
6.1 / There are no legal implications as a result of this report.
7 / Policy Implications
7.1 / None.
8 / Risk Management Implications
8.1 / None.
9 / Equalities Implications
9.1 / None.
10 / Environmental Impact
10.1 / Introducing a resident parking permit scheme linked to vehicle emissions with cheaper permit charges applying to lower vehicle emissions may influence Borough of Poole’s carbon foot print into the long term.
11 / Staffing Implications
11.1 / Potential to review parking administration arrangements if Members agree to the suggested actions in Section 4.8.
12 / Conclusion
12.1 / Members are asked to note and agree to the principles and consideration of a three-year car park pricing strategy. The detailed pricing proposals will be submitted for consideration at the Transportation Advisory Group on 8 October 2009.
JULIAN MCLAUGHLIN