Memorandum submitted by Manchester City
Council
1. THE VISION
FOR MANCHESTER'S
PARKING SERVICE
The primary aim of Manchester's Parking Service's
is to help achieve a 24-hour congestion free city. It aims to
support the economic stability and growth of Manchester by providing
and managing On and some Off Street parking provision for all
those who wish to work, live and play in the city, whilst also
contributing directly towards wider environmental and transportation
objectives, balancing the needs of other transport mediums with
sufficient parking provision to meet demand. The parking enforcement
service, which supports wider City policies, has a stated aim
of becoming the UK's most customer focussed parking service and
is well on its way to securing this status. Over the last 18 months,
the Parking service's remit has been stretched, to recognise and
incorporate the role that Parking has to play with the liveability
agenda as well as the transportation agenda. This is summarised
in the service vision below:
Manchester's parking service will manage parking
in support the City's wider economic, environmental and transportation
objectives. Where parking enforcement is necessary, this will
be undertaken in a reasonable and proportionate manner, which
attracts public support. The Council's parking service, aims to
become the UK's most customer focussed parking service.
2. SERVICE IMPROVEMENT
STRATEGY
In 2002, Manchester's Parking Service was experiencing
a low point in public confidence, and criticism from the local
press. Parking enforcement was widely perceived as being draconian
and profit driven, and there had been some highly publicised blunders.
Whilst the Council's motives were to maintain traffic flow, this
was not translated into on the ground delivery. The majority of
the customer-facing components were also operated through the
contractor, rather than directly by the Council. A far reaching
service review was undertaken and a series of initiatives have
since been implemented that have overhauled Manchester's approach
to parking enforcement, and have helped to make Manchester's Parking
Service an award winning one.
2.1 The "Reasonable and Proportionate"
approach
This philosophy has transformed the Council's
enforcement policy, and helped drastically improve the Service's
public image. This has given absolute discretion to Parking Attendants
in "borderline" cases, allowing common sense to be employed
before issuing a ticket. This has led to a reduction in the number
of parking tickets issued for more innocuous offences, and helped
to reduce conflict with motorists. The reasonable and proportionate
approach is also mirrored by ticket processing staff when considering
appeals, and not just at the kerbside. Processing staff are empowered
to make the decision on an appeal that they feel is reasonable,
and each case is judged on its own merits, rather than following
the restrictions to the letter of the law.
2.2 Clamping, (probably the most emotive enforcement
tactic), was ceased in 2003
Clamping was a practice imported from London
when Manchester decriminalised parking enforcement in 1998. Clamping
was not deemed to match local priorities, and was therefore assessed
to be an unreasonable practice. If the aim of parking enforcement
is keeping the city moving, immobilising vehicles does not fit
within this remit.
2.3 A Change in Removal Policy
The number of removals has also been halved,
and vehicles are now only towed away if they constitute a hazard
or a blockage. This has reduced the number of disproportionate
removals, and freed up tow trucks to focus on removing untaxed
vehicles from the City's streets through "Operation CUBIT".
Working closely with the Police and the DVLA,
over 35,000 untaxed vehicles have been removed since the operation
commenced. Some of these vehicles are involved in criminal activity,
and have often been highlighted as a result of police intelligence.
The service has also recently started removing abandoned vehicles.
This enforcement has been popular amongst Manchester's communities,
and has meant that 80% of all Manchester's vehicle removals are
for untaxed or abandoned vehicles.
2.4 An Incentive Based Contract
As part of these changes, Manchester is looking
to reflect the change in attitudes through the on-street contract
that has recently been awarded to NCP. This new contract is consistent
with the "reasonable and proportionate" approach, and
offers incentive payments based on performance rather than on
the number of PCNs issued. One of the key principles is the absence
default payments in the contract, removing much of the possibility
for tension in the relationship. The contract includes a set of
quality measurements, linked to the incentive payments, and these
are agreed through a quarterly business planning process, allowing
the service to evolve to match local priorities. The service is
now considered to be an "in house service delivered through
a contractor" and Manchester is now a natural leader in its
contract design.
2.5 Service Restructure
This has focussed on bringing customer-facing
elements of the Service under direct Council control. Services
brought "in-house" have included appeal processing,
payments, and the Parking counter facility and investment in infrastructure
such as premises, vehicles and the IT system. All Customer facing
elements are now operated directly by Council staff who reflect
Manchester City Council's values and working practices. Parking
Attendants have also been re-branded in Council uniforms, with
contractor insignia removed. This re-branding has helped to improve
public trust in the service, and challenge the old perception
of a profit driven parking policy.
2.6 Liaison Officers
Parking Liaison Officers have been brought in
to represent the customer within the service, and tackle parking
anomalies across Manchester. They are responsible for addressing
obsolete and unnecessary parking restrictions, and are empowered
to deliver change. So far they have helped to redress parking
complaints for hundreds of businesses and residents, and are leading
Manchester's campaign against use of fraudulent disabled badges,
an issue that has won the service a great deal of public support.
The real win of the Liaison team is that they operate when the
customer needs them, at evenings, weekends and wherever is convenient
to them.
2.7 Investment in infrastructure
Infrastructure such as vehicles, IT and accommodation,
has been internalised, allowing investment to be made in the service
unhindered by contract durations. Premises have been refurbished
and new mopeds, cars and trucks have been purchased. A new IT
System is also being procured, that incorporates on a whole raft
of environmental enforcement powers, as well as parking enforcement.
2.8 Review of on street parking facilities
Further considering the local need, a far-reaching
review of on street parking restrictions was undertaken. On street
parking provision was doubled, and considering public safety,
junction protection with restrictions was implemented at the majority
of intersections.
2.9 Parking as a "liveability" issue
not just a transport one
Manchester City Council sees it's parking service
as a key part of a Street Management group that also manages Street
Wardens, and Street Environment Managers. This on street enforcement
family is branded in the same way, and work together to improve
the street scene. In parking terms, this means that Parking Attendants
are also reporting liveability issues, such as flytipping, or
broken lights, and can also have a major impact on untaxed and
abandoned vehicles. This has had a knock on effect of increased
job satisfaction for Parking Attendants and the concept of parking
as a liveability issue has helped to raise the public profile
of the service.
3. RESULTS
The service is not more lenient, merely fairer,
as is demonstrated by the service's appeals record. During 2003-04,
the number of PCNs issued fell by 6.8% on the previous year. The
number of appeals however, fell by 30.3%, implying that the number
of tickets felt by the motorist to be unfair had dropped significantly.
This downward trend has continued year on year:
|
| Year | Motorist Appeals to NPAS
|
|
| 2002-03 | 1,162
|
| 2003-04 | 806
|
| 2004-05 | 590
|
| 2005-06 (projected) | 300
|
|
In Manchester therefore, this approach is beginning to reverse
the perception of parking policy as unreasonable and profit driven.
Manchester is leading a trend away from rigid and disproportionate
parking enforcement, which is having a profound influence on the
industry. Other Councils are already following in Manchester's
footsteps, and are now adopting a similar "common sense"
approach.
4. PUBLIC OPINION
By delivering a reasonable parking strategy, Manchester have
begun to regain public acceptance for parking enforcement. This
acceptance has helped ensure that parking enforcement remains
viable in terms of public perception, and is perceived as fair.
The approach has generated goodwill from motorists, whilst attracting
support and backing from major players within the industry. Edmund
King, Executive Director of the RAC Foundation has stated; "Manchester
will serve as a model for other local authorities which have fallen
into difficulties over decriminalised parking". Kevin Delaney,
also of the RAC Foundation, added; "Manchester seems to have
returned us to where we should have been 10 years ago". Local
media support has also been forthcoming, and the Manchester Evening
News, a former critic of parking policy, has lent its support,
calling the service's rethink a "parking revolution".
5. MOVING FORWARD
Manchester is looking to tackle a number of key service improvements
in the future including voice recorded and online representations;
conference call NPAS appeals and ANPR readers on Parking Attendants
hand held units, allowing them to further have impact on vehicle
crime.
Equally important, is to further develop the concept of the
Parking Attendant in the "capable guardian" role, within
the wider context of neighbourhood management. An holistic approach
to parking enforcement not only gives a Parking Service greater
credibility, but also maximises the impact of the service. The
future may see Manchester's Parking Attendants also issuing Fixed
Penalty Notices for littering, or becoming further involved with
issues around street scene quality.
18 November 2005
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