Agenda item

Parking fees and charges review

[Report of the Director of Environment and Neighbourhoods.  To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Customer Service, Welfare and the Public Realm]

 

This report recommends changes to some existing parking fees and charges as well as the introduction of some new charges.

 

Minutes:

 

The Cabinet Member for Customer Service, Welfare and the Public Realm introduced the report which sought approval to commence the statutory notification process required to increase existing parking fees and charges. It also sought approval to commence statutory consultation where required for the introduction of some new charges.

 

The Cabinet Member and the Assistant Director for Direct Services responded to questions from Councillor Palmer:

-           The 6% increase for hourly visitor permits worked out to roughly 5 pence, which was in line with other changes.

-           The statutory consultation period for parking was usually around 4-6 weeks.

-           In regard to Councillor Palmer’s question on changes to Hornsey High Street, the Cabinet Member requested that the question be sent in writing so that a full response could be provided directly to Councillor Palmer.

 

RESOLVED

 

1.         To authorise the publication of Variation Notices issued under Section 46A of the Road Traffic Regulation Act, to give effect to the increase to existing parking fees and charges as set out in Appendix A.

 

2.         To approve the introduction of a 25% diesel surcharge for on street and off-streetcar park charges as set out in Appendix B, subject to the outcome of statutory consultation.

 

3.         To approve the introduction of Sunday parking charges in those off-street (public) car parks where they currently do not apply as set out in Appendix C, subject to the outcome of statutory consultation.

 

4.         To approve the introduction of Sunday parking charges in on-street “stop-and-shop” parking bays as set out in Appendix D, subject to the outcome of statutory consultation.

 

5.         To give delegated authority to the Head of Highways and Parking, consequential on this report to:

·           carry out statutory notification and consultation where required.

·           consider representations received in response to consultation and to report significant or substantial concerns to the relevant decision-maker(s).

·           make traffic management orders, where there are no valid objections.

 

Reasons for decision

Haringey must ensure appropriate parking fees and charges (permit, on-street and off-street parking prices) are in place to continue to support the Council’s wider traffic management and environmental objectives and obligations.

 

The Council’s authority to operate and set parking-related charges is defined by legislation. It is important to note that on-street parking charges cannot be set purely and intentionally as a means to raise revenue and charges must have regard to the costs of administration and enforcement.

 

However, permit and on-street prices can be set to ensure the Council provides suitable and adequate parking facilities on the public highway, whilst ensuring this does not negatively affect traffic flow in the borough. The Council is, therefore, able to set charges to restrain demand and enable a more effective management of its kerbside for wider transport and environmental benefits.

 

Sections 45 and 46 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (RTRA) provide the Council with the power to control parking by designating on-street parking places, charging for their use and restricting (or providing for) the use of such places by persons holding a permit for the purpose.

 

The setting of parking charges is a function which, like other functions under the RTRA, must be exercised in accordance with section 122 of the RTRA, to secure the expeditious, convenient and safe movement of vehicular and other traffic including pedestrians, and the provision of suitable and adequate parking facilities on and off the highway so far as practicable having regard to the following matters:

 

·           the desirability of securing and maintaining reasonable access to premises.

·           the effect on the amenities of any locality affected including the regulation and restriction of heavy commercial traffic so as to preserve or improve amenity.

·           the strategy prepared under section 80 of the Environment Act 1995 (national air quality strategy)

·           the importance of facilitating the passage of public service vehicles and of securing the safety and convenience of persons using or desiring to use such vehicles; and

·           any other matters appearing to the Council to be relevant.

 

When exercising this function, the Council must have regard to the Mayor of London’s Transport Strategy as provided by sections 142 and 144(1)(a) Greater London Authority Act 1999. That strategy emphasises the importance of reducing emissions and improving air quality.

 

Section 55 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 defines how any surplus from civil parking enforcement must be spent. This includes the provision of public transport services, highway maintenance and improvements, and environmental projects. Any additional revenue generated through parking permits will be invested to fund such activities.

 

This report recommends changes to existing fees, and the introduction of new fees and charges as set out under the following headings.

 

Inflationary increase to existing fees and charges

Appendix A recommends proposed increases to existing fees and charges that are in line with levels of inflation.

 

It is noted that most parking charges (e.g., resident and business permits) were reviewed and approved for inflationary increases in November 2020 and therefore this report only considers a small proportion of the Council’s parking fees and charges, summarised as:

 

·           Monthly resident visitor permit to increase to £31.70, an uplift of 2.26%

·           Hourly visitor permits to increase to £0.88 per hour, an uplift of 6.00%

·           Doctors permit to increase to £292, an uplift of 2.10%

·           Courtesy car permit to increase to £31.70, an uplift of 2.26%

·           Residential administration fee (Lost/Stolen/Change of vehicle and/or address/replacement) to increase to £12.25, an uplift of 2.08%

·           Car Park season tickets

o    Bury Road, N22 - Quarterly Season Ticket to increase to £78, an uplift of 1.96%

o    Bury Road, N22 - Annual Season Ticket to increase to £299.90, an increase of 2.01%

o    Stoneleigh Road, N17 (A, B & C) - Annual Season Ticket to increase to £162.50, an increase of 2.01%

o    Lawrence Road Car Park to increase to £1190.35, an increase of 2.00%

 

The above charges were considered and approved in the preparation of the 2021/22 Budget and 2021-2026 Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS).

 

It is noted that the hourly visitor permits will be increased year-on-year at 6% for the term of the 2021-2026 MTFS.

 

This report seeks approval to carry out the publication of Variation Notices issued under Section 46A of the Road Traffic Regulation Act, in order to give effect to the changes to fees and charges.

 

Diesel surcharge for on-street parking and car parks

In March 2020, Cabinet approved[1], amongst other changes to parking fees and charges, the introduction of a 25% surcharge for diesel vehicles parking in off-street public car parks and in on-street paid parking bays (commonly known as pay-by-phone bays). This decision was subject to the outcome of statutory (traffic management order) consultation.

 

In response to the feedback received during the statutory consultation, Cabinet approved[2] to implement only some aspects of the proposed traffic management order. Of relevance to this report “consideration was given to introducing the 25% diesel surcharge on on-street and car park charges from November 2020, as part of a package of measures to reduce diesel related pollutants. However, following due consideration of the feedback to the consultation, this will not be implemented at this point in time. This will also help support our town centres in their recovery from the impacts of the Covid 19 pandemic.”

 

As national Covid-19 restrictions are lifted, Haringey’s parking services have returned to ‘business as usual’. In this context, the decision by Cabinet in September 2020 to pause the 25% diesel surcharge due for on-street and car park charges is no longer applicable. Therefore, this report recommends implementing that proposal subject to the completion of readvertising the proposal and a new round of statutory consultation.

 

In keeping with the aspirations of the Haringey Climate Change Action Plan, the Council is, through enhancing opportunities for active travel, pursuing a shift to less-polluting means of mobility. Exercising greater control and positive influence over emissions from diesel vehicles is a further component in addressing environmental concerns. By tackling air quality in this way, the Council will make the overall shopping experience more pleasant.

 

It is noted that in March 2021 an EqIA was carried out[3] that identified that the proposal was robust and there is no potential for discrimination or adverse impact and that all opportunities to promote equality have been taken.

 

This report seeks approval for the Head of Highways and Parking to publish a proposal notice to introduce the 25% diesel surcharge charges for off-street and on-street paid parking, as outlined in Appendix B and to carry out statutory consultation in accordance with Road Traffic Regulation Act. It also recommends that the Head of Highways and Parking make the relevant traffic management orders and complete any associated statutory processes where no valid objections are made.

 

Should significant or substantial objections be received during the statutory consultation, it is recommended that these are reported to the relevant decision maker(s) before a decision is taken whether to make the relevant traffic management order.

 

Introduction of Sunday charges in off-street (public) car parks

Appendix C recommends the introduction of Sunday parking charges in those off-street (public) car parks where they currently do not apply.

 

The main reasons for this proposal are to:

 

·           Prevent all-day free parking and encourage turn-over of parking space on Sundays. In turn, this provides more parking ‘sessions’ per day.

·           Help balance demand with supply across the busy weekend period, helping maximise opportunity for custom.

·           Encourage sustainable modes of transport by ensuring that vehicle ownership is not seen as more economical than using sustainable transport.

·           Ensure that those who receive benefit from the service (i.e., those who make use of parking spaces in a high value locations) also contribute to the overall cost of providing that service.

·           Provide consistency across our public car parks where some already have Sunday charges.

 

Car Park opening and closing times remain unchanged by this proposal.

 

This proposal was subject to an equalities impact assessment (EqIA) in February 2021[4]. The EqIA demonstrated that the proposal was robust and there was no potential for discrimination or adverse impact and that all opportunities to promote equality had been taken.

 

The introduction of Sunday charging was included within the 2021/22 Budget and 2021-2026 Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS)[5]

 

This report seeks approval for the Head of Highways and Parking to publish a proposal notice to introduce the new charges and to carry out statutory consultation in accordance with Road Traffic Regulation Act. It also recommends that the Head of Highways and Parking make the relevant traffic management orders and complete any associated statutory processes where no valid objections are made.

 

Should significant or substantial objections be received during the statutory consultation, it is recommended that these are reported to the relevant decision(s) maker before a decision is taken whether to make the relevant traffic management order.

 

Introduction of Sunday charges in Stop and Shop bays

Appendix D recommends the introduction of Sunday parking charges in existing Stop and Shop parking bays.

 

Existing “Stop and Shop” parking bays are designated in various locations which are considered to be the areas of highest demand for visitor parking, i.e., destination areas such as town centres.

 

The parking bays are located in the town centres of Crouch End, Green Lanes, Hornsey, Muswell Hill, Tottenham, Turnpike Lane, West Green, and Wood Green, as well as on the High Roads and other streets near destination locations, as listed in Appendix D.

 

Stop and Shop bays allow visitors to pay for short-term parking (with a maximum stay of 1, 2 or 3 hours) by phone or app via the Council’s service provider RingGo. Contactless parking is also being made available across the borough.

 

Most Stop and Shop bays operate Monday to Saturday, but some already operate Monday to Sunday.

 

It is recommended that all existing Monday to Saturday Stop, and Shop bays are changed to operate Monday to Sunday for the following reasons:

 

·           encourage turn-over of parking space on Sundays, by preventing all-day parking. In turn, this increases the number of parking ‘slots’ that are available for visitor parking and therefore helps maximise the opportunity for custom in the town centres.

·           encourage sustainable modes of transport by ensuring that vehicle ownership is not seen as more economical than using sustainable transport - this is achieved by setting of appropriate parking charges.

·           ensure that those who receive benefit from the service (i.e., those who make use of a parking space) also contribute to the overall cost of providing that service.

 

This proposal was subject to an equalities impact assessment (EqIA) in February 2021[6]. The EqIA demonstrated that the proposal was robust and there was no potential for discrimination or adverse impact and that all opportunities to promote equality had been taken.

 

In response to earlier scrutiny, the economic impact of this proposal has been considered. Various studies have looked at the impact of parking policy upon the economy and, in general terms, concluded that parking controls are essential to the success of urban town centres and that other factors, such as a good mix of shops and services and a quality environment, are more important than parking. Extracts from those studies include:

 

·           “critics often claim that parking pricing spoils local economic activity by discouraging customers, but it actually provides both economic benefits and costs. It increases turnover of parking spaces which makes finding a space easier, reduces the number of parking spaces required at a location which can provide financial savings, and can reduce traffic problems such as congestion. General levels of provision may affect access modes, in turn, impacting on the quality of the shopping environment”[7].

·           the economic consequences of not implementing parking controls are reflected in the time costs incurred while searching for a parking space, and in time losses from traffic congestion caused by searching for parking and loading[8].

·           “car drivers spend more on a single trip; walkers and bus users spend more over a week or a month. In 2011, in London town centres, walkers spent £147 more per month than those travelling by car”[9]

·           “Shopkeepers consistently overestimate the share of their customers coming by car. In some cases, this is by a factor of as much as 400%. In London, as well as other cities, the share of those accessing urban centres on foot or by public transport is much greater. Walking is the most important mode for accessing local town centres”;[10]

 

The introduction of Sunday charging was included within the 2021/22 Budget and 2021-2026 Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS)[11].

 

This report seeks approval for the Head of Highways and Parking to publish a proposal notice to introduce the new charges and to carry out statutory consultation in accordance with Road Traffic Regulation Act. It also recommends that the Head of Highways and Parking make the relevant traffic management orders and complete any associated statutory processes where no valid objections are made.

 

Should significant or substantial objections be received during the statutory consultation, it is recommended that these are reported to the relevant decision maker(s) before a decision is taken whether to make the relevant traffic management order.

 

Paid parking – purchase in 15-minute blocks.

Paid parking, via the RingGo pay by phone / pay by app facility, is currently purchased in 15-minute blocks of time.

 

This report notes that these 15-minute blocks are an existing arrangement which will be formalised within the traffic management orders at the same time as other statutory processes arising from this report.

 

Alternative options considered.

A 30-minute paid parking block was considered but was rejected at this time on the basis that it was not an existing arrangement and may deter some customers from paying for parking.

 



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