Civil Parking Enforcement in Wincanton

I have recently received information regarding on-street parking with regard to:

• Civil Parking Enforcement in Somerset
• Update for Town and Parish Councils

You can read the full details below but to summarise what this means for Wincanton, County Council have taken over parking enforcement from the police and the company NSL have the contract for enforcement. Wincanton Town Council pays to keep the car parks in Wincanton free, so there will be no change there.

Wincanton will see uniformed NSL employees patrolling the High Street to ticket illegally parked cars. This can only be a good thing for problem areas like outside the banks. However residents of the High Street who park their cars throughout the day will also be targeted.

Civil Parking Enforcement (CPE)

Civil Parking Enforcement means transferring the responsibility for the enforcement of most on-street parking regulations from the Police to the Local Authority. It brings the enforcement of car park and on-street regulations within the same procedures.

These new arrangements for the enforcement of Traffic Regulation Orders in Somerset will be introduced on 11 June, bringing Somerset into line with most other local authorities in England and Wales.

The County Council, and its enforcement service provider NSL, will issue penalty charge notices for motorists who break the parking rules. The new service will apply to parking contraventions on-street throughout the County and in car parks in Taunton Deane, Sedgemoor and Mendip districts.

Enforcement procedures will follow national guidelines. CPE will introduce a consistent and standardised approach across the county to parking contraventions.

South Somerset and West Somerset Councils have decided to introduce their own CPE service for enforcement in their car parks.

No Change to Regulations

There are no plans to introduce more parking meters or increase on-street parking charges from 11 June. There are no plans to change or introduce more parking regulations such as yellow lines, limited waiting or resident schemes either, without full consultation.

Map-based traffic regulation orders (taking the place of the old written schedules) are being advertised at the moment. These confirm, and do not change, the existing regulations. They make the regulations more accessible and easy to understand by presenting them in great detail on small scale maps. Members of the public can view the maps on the Internet or call at a council office to see a printed copy. To see the maps go to www.somerset.gov.uk/tro and click on the link for each district's order in Table 1.

The district and borough councils will continue to set and collect parking fees for their car parks.

The New CPE Service

The County Council's service provider NSL is the biggest provider of parking enforcement services for local authorities in the UK. County officers have drawn on NSL's national experience to set up systems and procedures for an efficient and effective service for Somerset.

Civil Enforcement Officers will use the latest technology to record contraventions and, wherever possible, penalty notices will be processed automatically. They will patrol the County on foot, by bicycle, scooter or car as appropriate to the location and will wear a Somerset County Council branded uniform.

Enforcement guidelines have been prepared to set out circumstances when a penalty notice might be cancelled due to extenuating circumstances. If a formal representation is not covered by those guidelines, the case will be referred to the County's Parking Services Manager. Individuals have further rights to appeal to an independent adjudicator should they feel that their case has not been properly considered.

For those districts that have not previously been subject to CPE (all except Taunton Deane), on-street contraventions will receive a warning notice rather than a penalty notice during the first week of the service (11-17 June). This is to raise awareness of the new service in locations where enforcement of on street regulations has not been a priority.

Bus Gates

The enforcement service includes facilities for enforcement of bus gates using automatic number plate recognition cameras. These cameras are being introduced at all bus gates in the county.

Penalty Charges

The parking penalty charge levels have been advertised at £70 for a higher-level contravention (for example parking on a double yellow line) and £50 for a lower-level contravention (for example parking too long in a limited waiting bay). This is the maximum level permitted outside London. Penalty charges for bus lane contraventions have been set at £60. These charges are all in line with neighbouring authorities and are subject to a 50 per cent discount if paid within 14 days.

Comments

Victor Meldrew
Posts: 5

Re: Civil Parking Enforcement in Wincanton
Reply #1 on : Tue July 03, 2012, 15:22:16

---

Great. The announcement was sated 11 June, Sam only managed to get it on here 2 weeks later (not blaming Sam) but STILL they are parking in South Street! Does NSL employ those who cannot read a map? I see they patrol in 2 & 3`s in Yeovil.

davidsmith
Posts: 1

Late to publish
Reply #2 on : Tue July 03, 2012, 15:49:02

---

The lateness of the article is mostly my fault, I reckon. We're still in a position where we need to control the flow of articles to ensure we don't have quiet weeks. If we don't perceive an article to be time sensitive, often a call I make myself - sometimes in error no doubt, I hold it back a little longer in order to prioritise.

Last Edit: July 03, 2012, 15:49:26 by davidsmith  

Victor Meldrew
Posts: 5

Re: Civil Parking Enforcement in Wincanton
Reply #3 on : Wed July 04, 2012, 17:26:46

---

My point was/is, that illegal/ignorant parking is still being carried out. Si just whe will these NSL employees find where Wincanton is.

mandycochrane
Posts: 2

Civil Parking Enforcement
Reply #4 on : Wed July 04, 2012, 17:39:39

---

I've spotted several parking tickets under windscreens in North Street in the last week or so, and have also seen the parking attendants around the Market Place area. I agree with you that it will be a good thing when they turn their attention to South Street (amongst others!).

Prometheus
Posts: 3

Civil Parking Enforcement
Reply #5 on : Tue July 10, 2012, 12:03:34

---

Great pity that the Tory-run County Council did this on the cheap and merely re-affirmed the existing traffic regulation orders in the town. Instead of reviewing the orders so the 20 minute spaces in the High Street could be extended outside Alldays and on the other side, we are left fighting for the few that are there. Also why penalise the residents at the top of the High Street by leaving a 1 hour restriction on these spaces which aren't used by shoppers. What happened to the idea of having a residents parking zone in Mill Street, North Street and other areas so at least residents have half a chance to find a space ?

So this needs to be re-thought - we've ended up with with a parking regime that has been introduced on the cheap and on the quiet with no public or retailer consultation whatsoever. At least with the car park debate there was the opportunity to comment and meetings we could attend. What do our local Councillors have to say to this ? I heard absolutely nothing yet they were all pretty vocal over the car park issue !!

mandycochrane
Posts: 2

Civil Parking Enforcement
Reply #6 on : Tue July 10, 2012, 12:36:04

---

I'm keen to hear more reactions to the new parking enforcement from traders in the High Street.

It did seem, not so very long ago, that I read of traders' frustration at shoppers overstaying the alloted time in parking spaces in the High Street. It was claimed this affected their trade by denying other shoppers the ability to park and shop in the High Street.

On the front page of last week's (5th July) Western Gazette, however, Ted Petre-Mears, the landlord of Uncle Tom's Cabin, was bemoaning the fact that stricter enforcement of the one-hour parking restriction is driving trade away!

Three points come immediately to mind:

1) You can't have it both ways!

2) A business plan based on the hope that existing parking restrictions outside their premises won't be enforced isn't going to survive contact.

3) There are other car parks in town, free and with no time restriction (that I'm aware of).

What do other traders think of the new enforcement? Has it affected trade or helped?

Ted
Posts: 1

Civil Parking Enforcement
Reply #7 on : Tue July 10, 2012, 20:20:48

---

I am in the high street 7 days a week and have just simply told what I have seen, which is a quieter town since the in enforcement.
The view from the traders I have spoken to is to have a longer allotted time (2hrs) but one thing that does keep cropping up is this "Free car parking in town" we agreed to pay through our council tax increase so "Free" is not a term that fits well, maybe funded by the residents would be a better term.

Last Edit: July 10, 2012, 20:25:31 by Ted  

Prometheus
Posts: 3

Civil Parking Enforcement
Reply #8 on : Tue July 10, 2012, 21:27:03

---

True Ted but the important thing they (the car parks) are free to the USER whether they are shoppers in the High Street, users of the Balsam Centre, Berry Bus excursionists to London or residents of the High Street or Overton.

It is also true that the on-street parking in the High Street is also free and we have to take at face value the statement above from the County Council that "There are no plans to introduce more parking meters or increase on-street parking charges from 11 June." Now we have all seen the on-street meters in Taunton - are we seriously going to believe that they won't be introduced in Yeovil which, after all is the second biggest town in Somerset ?? So perhaps the message should be enjoy it while you can 'cos maybe there might just be a parking meter appearing near you in the not too far distant future.
But back to my main gripe - with a little imagination, you can create additional parking spaces in the High Street so can somebody get off their corporate bum and do something about it!!

Victor Meldrew
Posts: 5

Re: Civil Parking Enforcement in Wincanton
Reply #9 on : Thu July 12, 2012, 11:44:23

---

Well I know for a fact that at least two ideas were suggested to improve parking, but were turned down as it would have required funding via parking charges, but only in the short term. Now we have these `parking wardens` perhaps the funds could be found,but I doubt it as most of our Council Tax seems to be lost in stupidly high wages for `Civil Servants` No doubt the reply will be "you pay peanuts you get monkeys", yes but how many monkeys can you get for £160k?

Last Edit: July 12, 2012, 11:46:03 by Victor Meldrew  

Prometheus
Posts: 3

Civil Parking Enforcement
Reply #10 on : Fri July 13, 2012, 23:49:53

---

Victor I think we all know the answer here which is one Chief Executive of Somerset County Council. Mind you, it(£160k) was probably the cost of the dinner Bob Diamond had after appearing before the Select Committee. But back to things Wincanton.

There was a scheme put forward about 9 years ago to widen the pavements and have parking on both sides of the High Street above Carrington Way. Think it was something Tim Carroll was promoting. It got the thumbs down from the High Street traders because some spaces would be lost on Steve Sowden's side of the road. strangely tho, when that bit of the High Street was resurfaced 4 years ago, a couple of spaces magically disappeared outside Steve's and Andrew's.

Latest from the NSL front. If you are a tradesperson with a marked-up van, be afraid, be very afraid. In a recent incident in Church Street, a workman from a well-known Wincanton outfit was attending to an emergency repair and made the unfortunate error of parking on double yellows outside the house where he was working as he needed to his tools and other kit in the van. In spite of leaving a note under his windscreen explaining where he was and what he was doing, he was rewarded by a personal note from NSL informing him that he was £70 the poorer. An appeal was lodged only to be instantly dismissed. Now I know that supporters of the scheme would say he was lucky it wasn't London where his van would have been impounded and he would have had to pay a £300 release fee. That is not the point. This is Wincanton not London so let's have a bit of common sense and understanding applied.

Victor Meldrew
Posts: 5

Re: Civil Parking Enforcement in Wincanton
Reply #11 on : Tue July 17, 2012, 21:14:35

---

Prometheus, your answer is incorrect. It is much closer to home. Try who `owns` the carparks!

Victor Meldrew
Posts: 5

Re: Civil Parking Enforcement in Wincanton
Reply #12 on : Thu August 30, 2012, 15:42:18

---

This gets even worse! I see from todays (Aug 30) Western that High St residents are asking for Residents Parking Permits for the High St. Well, the Town Council are opposed to the idea, but I see that one of those for the idea is not only a TOWN Councillor, but a DISTRICT one as well. Just where do his loyalties lie? Is this the same Council that was somewhat opposed to the development of Long Close, on the grounds of taking trade from town, but now praise what is there?

Login to comment!