APPENDIX 1
Memorandum submitted by Brighton and Hove
Council
I am the senior bailiff at Brighton & Hove
City council. One of my team's tasks is to enforce warrants for
non-payment of parking fines. As far as I'm aware there are only
a few councils using in-house bailiffs to do this.
I am also the chair of the Local Authorty Civil
Enforcement Forum (www.lacef.org.uk)
I wish to comment on the following question:
What action would raise the standard of parking
enforcement activity? Is Statutory Guidance needed to promote
consistency?
Problems we as bailiffs frequently encounter
are repeat offenders "playing the system";
— Multiple ticket offenders on vehicles
of low value and not worth removing.
— Vehicles on finance that are protected
from bailiff action.
— Quality control; large number of
errors on addresses supplied by DVLA to the council; eg; flat
numbers missing, mis-spelt addresses and errors on names. Not
uncommon to have fictitious names eg Mr Scrap Dealer, Mr M Mouse
or fictitious addresses. Such problems have not really been addressed
by the recent registration changes brought in by DVLA.
— Also, DVLA are reluctant to supply
details of registration on other vehicles owned by the debtor
(often the date of offence was many months ago and the car has
been replaced).
Perhaps outside the remit of this review but
serious consideration should be given to using solicitors to register
changes of ownership on vehicles. Addresses can then be confirmed
and the possibility of other documents checked at the same time.
Barrie Minney, Senior
Bailiff
Local Taxation Services
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