Parking in Pembrokeshire

Civil Parking Enforcement Report 2020-21

Introduction

Strategy & Policy

Parking Provision in Pembrokeshire

Our Services

Civil Parking Enforcement

Performance Delivery & Statistics

Financial Information

Update on 2019/20 Initiatives

Future Development & Initiatives

Appendix 1: Resident and Shared Parking Schemes

Introduction

By Councillor Phil Baker

Cabinet Spokesperson for Infrastructure, Licencing and Major Events

The Council is required to publish this information in accordance with Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004.

This is the Ninth annual report which we have published, in accordance with the requirements of the Traffic Management Act 2004. Its aim is to provide information about how Pembrokeshire County Council delivers its parking enforcement and associated services.

During this period we were all subject to change due to COVID restrictions. As an authority and Parking team we were subject to service changes and how we delivered items such as parking.

In 2020 we allowed key workers to park in our car parks, as part of the WG permit scheme, which allowed key workers access to our car parks during the restriction period without having to pay for parking.

As the year progressed we started to see people exploring our county again and this resulted in high demand during the peak season in our car parks.

I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone in the Parking Section for the way they supported our COVID response and recovery in 2020.

We continue to ensure that the enforcement of parking restrictions is transparent, consistent and fair. Pembrokeshire County Council recognises that openness and accountability is critical to gaining public support and by publishing our Annual Parking Report, we hope that our customers will be aware of our dedication to improving the parking regime for residents, businesses, and visitors.

We continue to review our service delivery and Sections 8 and 9 sets out our key objectives and updates.

Parking Services also integrates with other key strategic delivery projects we, as an authority, are delivering. I am pleased to see we are now progressing with a new Interchange in Haverfordwest to start around March 2022.

If you have any questions or comments regarding our Parking Annual Report, please let us know by telephoning on 01437 764551 or emailing us at parking@pembrokeshire.gov.uk.

Strategy & Policy

Background

The Strategic Vision of the Council emphasises the promotion of an attractive, clean and healthy environment and the Regional Transport Plan gives recognition that traffic management plays an important part in ensuring safe, effective and rational use of the highway.  

Charging Policy

• The need to encourage retail trade;
• The need to manage traffic, including on-street parking and traffic flows;
• The need to manage demand effectively;
• The nature of parking location and its users, i.e. urban shopper/business, residential, rural town shopper, beach/visitor;
• Comparison with other providers in the locality;
• The need to encourage the use of more sustainable forms of transport, including public transport;
• Charges are not set purely in order to derive income;
• Have regard to the overall revenue budget provision (expenditure and income) for car parks;
• A presumption in favour of improvements being funded by increased tariff.

These principles are applied consistently, which results in different charges from place to place.

Demand Management

Car parking charges have been considered on a location by location basis. Car parking charges in Pembrokeshire are set to encourage shoppers and are likely to require short-stay spaces. Where car parking is subject to high demand and/or limited capacity, then parking periods and tariffs are carefully set to optimise turnover.

Parking Provision in Pembrokeshire

Off Street

The Authority manages car parks to provide for both short stay and long stay users. Charges apply in accordance with Council Policy.

Disabled provision is in accordance with the guidance issued by DfT.

On Street

The Authority provides on street parking facilities on the adopted public highway where it is considered appropriate to do so without undue interference with moving traffic. It makes provision for limited waiting, disabled, loading, taxi, motor cycles and residents.

It has developed robust and fair practices to manage the kerb side to cater for the competing demands of the various users. No restrictions have been implemented that do not have a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) to support them.

Our Services

Off Street Parking

The Council has both charging and non-charging car parks; details can be found on the Pembrokshire County Council (PCC) website. PCC has 98 car parks, of which 36 are Pay and Display. 18 have charges applying all year round and 14 seasonal charges.

Between 1^st April 2020 and 31^st March 2021 the following were issued:

• 170 Season permits
• 87 Reserved bay permits
• 174 Tenby Harbour permits

A minimum of 6% of spaces have been set aside for Blue Badge holders. The Council waived charges on certain days in December in the lead up to Christmas in all chrging car parks through the County.

On Street

There are currently 1035 limited waiting spaces, 127 disabled spaces, 33 Taxi spaces, 3 Bus bays, 28 bays for Loading  / Goods unloading bays, 1 ambulance bay and 1 motorcycle bay. Within the overall spaces, there remain 636 spaces for Resident / Business Permit Holders.   

Resident parking

Resident Parking Schemes have been introduced, where practicable, on a number of streets/locations across the County. There are currently 57 schemes in operation (full list on Appendix 1). All schemes on the public highway are operated under the same regulations, one permit per property to a specific vehicle.  Permits are valid for a period of up to 12 months.  The cost of a permit is £40.00.  Visitor permits are available for periods of up to 7 days at a cost of £40.00, again one per property to a specific vehicle.  Proof of occupancy, valid insurance and an MOT certificate must be provided.

A non-highway scheme is operated in TenbyHarbour where one permit is issued to each property but is not vehicle specific.  Cost of a permit is £200.00, this fee was increased on the 1^st March 2018. 

There were 887 annual permits issued between 1^st April 2020 to 31^st March 2021 and 46 visitor permits.

Parking Dispensations

The Council does allow, in certain circumstances, the issue of a Dispensation, which enables a vehicle to park lawfully in contravention of a TRO. It may also suspend parking places for the purposes of reserving those places for particular vehicles and/or applicants.

Dispensations will be issued by way of a temporary permit containing the details of the event, the vehicle registration, together with the date and time of use. The permit must be clearly displayed on the front windscreen of the approved vehicle.

197 dispensations were issued 1^st April 2020 - 31^st March 2021.

Civil Parking Enforcement

Parking and Streetcare Teams

Combining the management and enforcement of both on and off street parking provides considerable operational and community benefits. In April 2013, the Parking Services team and Streetcare team were combined under one operational manager. Both sections still have their own remit, however, the benefits of this combined service includes:

• Co-ordinated enforcement and control of on and off street parking
• Co-ordinated enforcement of all highway related issues
• Co-ordination of activities on the highway network
• Management and co-ordination of events affecting on and off street activities
• Co-ordination of third party works on the highway
• Managing all licensed activities on and off street
• More effective implementation of policies

Running CPE

Pembrokeshire currently employs 13 Civil Enforcement Officers, 2 Technical Clerks, 1 Parking Services & Streetcare Officer and 2 Parking Services Officers; they are all supported by the Streetcare and Parking Services Manager. They do not receive any performance related bonuses or incentives.  

Penalty Charge Notices (PCN’s) are issued to vehicles which park in contravention of the restrictions. If a motorist wishes to dispute a PCN, they must follow the appeal process, which is detailed on the rear of the PCN.

Having operated CPE since 1^st February 2011, Parking Services staff have built up a comprehensive understanding of where and when indiscriminate parking occurs.  However, when members of the public are experiencing particular parking problems, they can report them to the office. 

The Parking Services team are also responsible for the management of all car parks, Pay & Display machines, financial matters, Resident Permits, Car Park Season and Reserved Permits, Parking Dispensations and Car Park License Agreements for events and compounds.

The Back Office - Wales Penalty Processing Partnership (WPPP)

The WPPP back office continues to be used to process the issued PCN’s.

There are quarterly meetings, an officer working group, with representatives from each Partner Authority to discuss operational consistency, shares best practice and strives for continual efficiency savings.

Enforcement Agents

The Council currently uses the services of four Enforcement Agents to recover debts, Excel, Proserve, Swift and A J Enforcement. All have considerable experience in this work and provide similar services to other WPPP partners as well as our SWWITCH partners Carmarthenshire County Council, City & County of Swansea and Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council.

Performance Delivery & Statistics

Statistical Performance

The tables below show statistics relating to PCN’s issued during the period 1^st April 2020 to 31^st March 2021.

PCN's Progression of Cases

Description	PCN's issued	%
Number of PCN’s issued on street	3762	62%
Number of PCN’s issued off street	2316	38%
Number of PCN’s paid at discount rate	4375	72%
Number of PCN’s paid after 14 days	568	9%
Number of PCN’s not paid	572	9%
Number of PCN’s  cancelled (see table  6.5)	610	10%
Total Number of PCN’s issued	6078	-

On Street Parking Contraventions

Code	Description	PCN's issued	%
01	Parked in a restricted street during prescribed hours	1108	18%
02	Parked or loading/unloading in a restricted street where waiting and loading/unloading restrictions are in force	64	1%
12	Parked in a residents or shared use parking place without clearly displaying a permit issued for that place	991	16%
14	Parked in an electric vehicles’ charging place during restricted hours without charging	0	0%
16	Parked in a permit space without displaying a valid permit	8	0.1%
21	Parked in a suspended bay or part of a bay	34	0.5%
23	Parked in a parking place not designated for that class of vehicle	105	2.%
25	Parked in a loading place during restricted hours without loading	35	2%
26	Vehicle parked more than 50cms from edge of carriageway and not within designated parking place	2	0%
27	Parked adjacent to a dropped footway	104	2%
40	Parked in a designated disabled person parking place without clearly displaying a valid disabled persons badge	249	4%
45	Parked on a taxi rank	17	0.3%
47	Stopped in a restricted bus stop	19	0.3%
48	Stopped in a restricted area outside a school	2	0%
49	Parked wholly or partly on a cycle track	0	0%
62	Parked with one or more wheels on part of the road other than between two carriageways	0	0%
63	Parked with engine running where prohibited	0	0%
99	Stopped on a pedestrian crossing or area marked by zigzags	4	0%
04	Parked in a meter bay when penalty time is indicated	0	0%
05	Parked after the expiry of paid for time	0	0.%
06	Parked without clearly displaying a valid pay & display ticket or voucher	2	0%
24	Not parked correctly within the markings of a bay/space	12	0.2%
30	Parked for longer than permitted	852	14%

Off Street Parking Contraventions

Code	Description	PCN's issued	%
74	Using a vehicle in a parking place in connection with the sale or offering or exposing for sale goods when prohibited	2	0%
80	Parking for longer than the maximum period permitted	18	0.3%
81	Parked in a restricted area in a car park	28	0.5%
82	Parked after the expiry of paid for time	267	4%
83	Parked in a car park without clearly displaying a valid pay and display ticket or voucher or parking clock	1499	25%
85	Parked in a permit bay without displaying a valid permit	319	2.25%
86	Parked beyond the bay markings	111	2%
87	Parked in a disabled persons parking space without clearly displaying a valid disabled persons badge	102	1.7%
91	Parked in a car park not designated for that class of vehicle	65	2%
94	Parked in a pay and display car park without displaying two valid pay and display tickets when required	0	0%
95	Parked in a parking place for a purpose other than the designated purpose of the parking place.	119	2%

PCN's Cancelled

• No of PCN's cancelled as a result of formal representations - Challenge Accepted: 420 (7%)
• Number of PCN’s cancelled for other reasons (e.g. owner untraceable, CEO error, DVLA unable to provide details): 190 (3%)
• Total cancelled: 610 (10%)

Comparision

• Number of PCN issued: 13063 (2019-20)      6078 (2021-22)
• Number of PCN’s on street: 7211 (2019-20)      3762 (2021-22)
• Number of PCN’s off street: 5852 (2019-20)      2316 (2021-22)
• Number of PCN’s cancelled:1301 (2019-20)       610 (2021-22)

Adjudications decisions made at Traffic Penalty Tribunal 

• Total number: 13 (2019-20)      7 (2021-22)
• Appeal dismissed: 8  (2019-20)      4 (62.5%) (2020-21)
• Appeal accepted: 1 (2019-20)      2 (37.5%) (2020-21)
• No contest: 4 (2019-20)        1 (2020-21)

Financial Information

Financial account

Income and expenditure financial data governed by Section 55 of the Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984 is presented below:

 

Income	2019/20	2020-21
Resident Parking Permits  (Includes Resident and Visitor)	£45,090	£48,189
Parking Dispensations	£8,789	£6,225
Penalty Charges	£419,472	£437,939
Contributions others LAs	£13,000	£7,600
Total Income	£486,052	£499,983

 

Expenditure	2019-20	2020-21
Employee Costs	£284,714	£218,412
Premises	£30,098	£49,619
Goods & Services	£10,702	£6,078
Support & Management	£162,236	£159,752
Other Payments	£59,613	£44,057
Capital Charges	£0	£0
Total Expenditure	£547,363	£477,918
(Surplus) / Deficit	61,312	(-£22,064)

Note: 2020/21 figures amended 1^st October 2022

The financial information provided for this report does not include the off-street activity not governed by the Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984.

Update on 2019/20 Initiatives

Initiative

Review ANPR Mobile camera for Enforcement

Progress

A Parking Working group will be set up, meeting every quarter, to review parking services operations. The working group will involve officers and elected County Councillors

Initiative

Develop plans for delivery of the new Haverfordwest Interchange

Progress

This is progressing with plans for delivery in March 2022

Initiative

Roll out cashless payment options at Pay and Display machines

Progress

Ongoing – Network issues have caused a delay in going totally cashless – cashless options now offered across the county 

Initiative

Progress with EV charging points in our car parks

Progress

Additional sites now added 

Initiative

Introduce Pay by Phone option for parking sessions

Progress

Pay by Phone option rolled out March 2021

Initiative

Develop the Parking Asset Management plan by utilising the AMX software

Progress

Ongoing

Initiative

Continue collaborative working with Pembrokeshire Coast National Parks in relation to Enforcement and management of their parking places

Progress

We continue to enforce in PCNP car parks. The annual PCN figures include PCNP car parks 

Initiative

Deliver car park improvements in line with asset management

Progress

Ongoing

Initiative

Review Motorhome Provision

Progress

Ongoing discussion over Motorhome provision in relation to overnight camping

Future Development & Initiatives

In 2021/22 a number of initiatives will be considered, either following on from last year’s activity and issues arising or new initiatives, as follows:

•  Progress new Interchange for Haverfordwest Multi Storey car park
• Complete rolling out cashless payment options at Pay and Display machines
• Continue roll out of EV charging points in our car parks
• Manage “Staycation” demand
• Review mobile enforcement cameras
• Continue to review full cost recovery for Parking Services
• Review Motorhome provision and overnight camping
• Review Off Street Orders in line with the authorities strategic vision

Appendix 1: Resident and Shared Parking Schemes

Broad Haven

• Marine Road -west side

Dale

• U6006 Dale Fort Road - east side

Fishguard

• Fishguard
• Wallis Street –east side
• Coronation Avenue

Haverfordwest

• Bush Row -east side
• Albany Terrace - parking area
• Cambrian Place - east Side
• Cartlett -north side
• Castle Town Area
• North Street - west side
• North Street -east side
• Holloway -north side
• Queens Square - central area
• Crowhill -east side
• Merlins Hill –north side
• Hill Street
• North Crescent - west side
• Winch Crescent - south side

Milford Haven

• Milford Haven
• Robert Street - north and south side

Neyland

• Neyland
• Neyland Hill -south side

Pembroke

• Woodbine Terrace - south side

Pembroke Dock

• Apley Terrace - south side
• Bush Street - north and south side
• Church Street – west and east side
• Gordon Street - west side
• Gwyther Street -west and east side
• Laws Street - west and east side
• Lewis Street – west and east side
• Pembroke Street - west and east side
• Upper Laws Street - west and east side
• Upper Meyrick Street - west and east side

Tenby

• Augustus Place (serving Nos. 1-10) & (serving Nos. 11-18)
• Clareston Road - west and south side
• Culver Park –west and east side
• Greenhill Avenue –west and east side
• Weston Terrace -west side
• Harding Street –north and south side
• Harries Street -west side
• Heywood Court -west side
• Heywood Court - Nos. 74-85 north side Nos.48-64 south side
• Lower Frog Street -east side
• Park Place -north and south side
• Edward Street -south east side
• Park Terrace - south east side
• Penally Road - east side
• Picton Road - west and east side
• Picton Terrace - west side
• Queens Parade -west side
• South Cliff Street -north side
• St Florence Parade - east side
• St Johns Hill -north side
• St Julian’s Street -north west side
• Sutton Street - east side
• The Croft - east side
• The Norton -east side
• The Paragon - south side
• Trafalgar Road - north west and south east side
• Victoria Street - west and east side
• Warren Street - south side

Shared Use Bay (Limited Waiting 1 hour, no return within 1 hour, Mon-Sat 8am-6pm / Permit holders)

Pembroke Dock

Meyrick Street -west side

Shared Use Bay (Limited Waiting 1 hour, no return within 1 hour 8am – 6pm / Permit holders)

Haverfordwest

Holloway - north side

North Street -east side

Queens Square -central area

St Davids

New Street –east side