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Sevenoaks District Council
ANNUAL PARKING REPORT
2009 2010
Kristen Paterson
Community and Planning Services Director
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Sevenoaks District Council Annual Parking Report 2009/10
CONTENTS
1. Introduction
2. Annual Report
3. Parking Facilities
4. Parking Enforcement Service
5. Penalty Charge Notices
6. Statistics
7. Financial
8. Future Initiatives
Appendix A The Parking Penalty Enforcement Process
Appendix B Examples of Higher and Lower Contraventions
Appendix C Penalty Charge Notices Issued 2009/10
Appendix D Breakdown of Contraventions for PCNs Issued
Appendix E Breakdown of PCNs Issued by Area
Appendix F Income and Expenditure
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1.0 Introduction
1.1 The District Council has operated a joint parking enforcement service in
relation to car parks and on-street parking restrictions since January 2000.
The on-street enforcement is undertaken on behalf of Kent County Council,
the highway authority, with the function delegated by way of an AgencyAgreement.
1.2 Up to 2008, parking enforcement was known as Decriminalised Parking and
operated under the provisions of the Road Traffic Act 1991. However, on 31
March 2008 the legal framework for enforcement authorities transferred to the
Traffic Management Act 2004 with the introduction of Part 6 of the Act. This
gave authorities outside London many of the powers already available to
authorities in London, giving greater consistency across the country. The
main effects were:-
Decriminalised Parking became Civil Parking Enforcement;
Parking Attendants became Civil Enforcement Officers (CEOs);
two levels of Penalty Charge relating to the severity of contravention were
introduced;
Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) could be issued by post to deal with
vehicle drive-aways and threatening behaviour;
new contraventions in connection with double parking and parking across
dropped kerbs were introduced;
independent adjudicators were given increased powers to refer PCN
appeals back to Local Authorities for further consideration.
1.3 In Kent, the change also necessitated PCNs to have separate identifiers to
differentiate between those PCNs issued on-street on behalf of Kent County
Council and those issued by this Council in its off-street car parks. The
identifier is issued by the Traffic Enforcement Centre at Northampton County
Court and takes the form of two letters at the beginning of each PCN number,
intended to represent the enforcing authority. Where previously, all our PCNs
were identified by SV (to represent Sevenoaks), PCNs issued on-street were
changed to begin KS (to represent Kent Sevenoaks). The change applied to
all authorities in the County who were similarly issued with new identfiers for
on-street enforcement.
2.0 Annual Report
2.1 Civil Parking Enforcement was introduced with the aim of keeping traffic
moving, making parking enforcement fairer and more transparent, and
providing motorists with a consistent service across the country. As part of
this, a requirement to produce an annual report falls to the traffic authority,
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3.6 Residents who are having building work carried out may apply for a parking
waiver for their contractor to park in restricted areas. A waivers allows parking
in bays and on single yellow lines but may not cover other types of restriction.
3.7 In certain streets in the vicinity of Sevenoaks town centre and Sevenoaks
station, non-resident permits are available to facilitate parking in connectionwith business/commuter use where the road capacity allows.
4.0 Parking Enforcement Service
4.1 The Council operates a team of 9 Civil Enforcement Officers (CEOs) and 1
Civil Enforcement Supervisor. Patrols are undertaken throughout the District
over a six day week Monday to Saturday, with Sunday and Bank Holiday
enforcement undertaken from time-to-time as required. Staggered working
hours provide for enforcement throughout the working day and evening.
Enforcement at other times are dealt with on an ad-hoc basis.
4.2 Our CEOs enforce the Councils car parks and on-street all yellow line
restrictions, parking bays including limited waiting bays and designated bays
for disabled blue badge holders, taxis and police vehicles, bus stops and
pedestrian crossing zig-zag markings throughout the district.
4.3 As might be expected, the majority of waiting and parking restrictions are
located in the main centres of Sevenoaks, Swanley, Edenbridge and
Westerham, where parking enforcement is concentrated, although the more
rural areas are regularly enforced in conjunction with these.
4.4 Enforcement of the two new contraventions of double parking and parking
across dropped kerbs, brought in with the change to the Traffic Management
Act 2004, was delayed while issues in respect to the legislation were clarified.
We are currently liaising with Kent County Council concerning authorisation to
commence enforcement of these contraventions, as required under the terms
of the Agency Agreement.
4.5 We do not directly undertake clamping or vehicle removal as part of our
enforcement process. The Secretary of State for Transport recommends that
this only be considered to deal with persistent evaders where it has not been
possible collect payment, primarily because the keeper is not registered with
the DVLA. Should we wish to commence this, prior authorisation would be
required from the County Council. However, these functions can be, and are,
undertaken by the Councils appointed Bailiffs as part of the debt recovery
process for unpaid penalty charges.
4.6 All CEOs receive appropriate training to nationally accepted standards before
they are permitted to commence parking enforcement duties. Likewise,
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administration staff receive training in dealing with parking appeals and the
parking enforcement process.
4.7 Our CEOs do not have targets for the number of PCNs to be issued and they
do not work to bonuses. Each parking contravention is considered on its own
merits.
5.0 Penalty Charge Notices
5.1 Civil Parking Enforcement is a legal process. Once a Penalty Charge Notice
(PCN) is issued and if not paid within 28 days, there is a set procedure which
all local authorities must follow in progressing the unpaid PCN through to
recovery of the debt. The procedure is, perhaps, best outlined in a leaflet
produced by the Joint Committee of England and Wales for the civil
enforcement of Parking And Traffic Regulations Outside London (PATROL).
PATROL provides information about parking regulations and enforcement on
behalf of councils that enforce parking regulations outside London Pleaserefer to Appendix A.
5.2 Anyone issued with a PCN has two opportunities to appeal to the Council.
Informally, if within 28 days of issue, and then formally following receipt of our
next Notice, the Notice to Owner, which is sent to the registered keeper of the
vehicle if the PCN remains unpaid. For appeals received within the 14 day
period for payment at the discounted rate (50%), if the appeal is unsuccessful,
a further 14 day period for payment at the discounted rate is given. Following
unsuccessful appeals to the Council, there is provision to appeal to the
independent adjudication service, the Traffic Penalty Tribunal, whos decision
is then binding upon both parties. The process is outlined in a documentproduced by the Traffic Penalty Tribunal, which has been reproduced in
Appendix A.
5.3 To Facilitate contact by the public, people are able to pay or appeal their PCN
online at the Councils website, where photographic evidence recorded by the
CEO at the time the PCN was issued can be viewed.
5.4 With the aim of providing clarity, consistency and transparency in parking
enforcement across the County, Kent local authorities and Medway Council
have collectively produced a set of guidance policies for the enforcement and
cancellation of PCNs. These form the basis of our approach to parkingappeals and take account of advice received from bodies such as the
adjudication service. The guidance has been acknowledged by the
Adjudication Service as being a good example of best practice. The document
is available on the Councils website www.sevenoaks.gov.uk by following
Transport and Streets / Parking Enforcement / Paying Parking Fines /
Cancellation Policy.
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5.5 The Traffic Management Act brought in two levels of penalty charge (i.e. the
PCN amount) to provide a higher charge for more serious contraventions,
such as parking on double yellow lines, and a lower charge for less serious
contraventions, such as overstaying time in a limited waiting bay. In
Sevenoaks and across Kent, the higher level penalty charge is set at 70 and
the lower level charge at 50. For information, a list of typical higher andlower contraventions is attached as Appendix B.
6.0 Statistics
6.1 In the financial year 1st April 2009 to 31st March 2010, 11,251 PCNs were
issued.
6.2 A breakdown of this figure showing the numbers issued on-street and in car
parks, for higher and lower contraventions, numbers appealed, paid and
cancelled, etc., is attached as Appendix C.
6.3 A breakdown of the contraventions for which PCNs were issued is attached as
Appendix D.
6.4 A geographical breakdown of PCNs issued by parish is also provided,
attached as Appendix E.
6.5 In 2009/10 the equivalent of 94 resident and 415 non-resident (i.e.
business/commuter) annual season tickets were issued for the car parks and
the equivalent of 630 resident and 212 non-resident annual permits were
issued on-street.
7.0 Financial
7.1 The provisional income and expenditure figures for the On-street and Car
Parks accounts are shown in Appendix F. These figures are provisional and
are subject to ratification by the Councils Auditors.
7.2 The expenditure shown for on-street parking excludes an allocation of 89,523
for support services costs.
7.3 The on-street parking account shows a net income of 158,212 for the year
against a budget figure of 227,619. For 2008/09 there was a net expenditure
of 23,044 (which excludes support service costs of 89,211) against abudgeted net income of 10,062.
7.4 In 2009/10, the on-street account has benefited from increased income from
pay and display parking and permit sales.
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7.5 The car parks account shows a net income of 1,323,546 against a budgeted
net income of 1,392,878. For 2008/09, there was a net income of 1,280,510
against a budgeted net income of 1,334,150.
8.0 Future Initiatives
8.1 Mobile Phone Payments
Currently, people can only pay for parking in the car parks and on-street by
putting the appropriate amount of coinage in a ticket machine to obtain a
ticket. We are aware that in some cases this can involve a large number of
coins. In order to provide a more flexible payment facility, we are investigating
the implications of introducing an optional payment system using mobile
phones, which would work alongside the ticket machines. Such schemes are
rapidly gaining popularity with the public and can offer benefits to both the
customer and the parking provider. This is being undertaken in conjunction
with a number of other local authorities in Kent.
8.2 Safer Parking Scheme
This is an initiative by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) which
has been running for a number of years. The scheme is managed by the
British Parking Association (BPA) and any car park operator can take part.
The purpose of the scheme is to reduce crime and the fear of crime, provide
guidance to owners and operators, and raise awareness of the general public.
8.3 A Park Mark Safer Parking Award is presented for car parks adjudged to meet
certain criteria in respect to crime risk. The Council has joined the scheme
and is currently assessing the suitability of our car parks for submission in
respect to meeting the criteria.
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Any queries or requests for further information should be directed to:
The Parking Manager
The Parking and Amenity Team
Community and Planning Services
Sevenoaks District Council
P O Box 183
Argyle Road
Sevenoaks
Kent TN13 1GN
Email: parkingandamenity@sevenoaks.gov.uk
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THE PARKING PENALTY ENFORCEMENT PROCESS APPENDIX
12 (continued on next page
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THE PARKING PENALTY ENFORCEMENT PROCESS APPENDIX
(continued from previous page) 13
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APPENDIX B
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EXAMPLES OF HIGHER LEVEL CONTRAVENTIONS
Parked in a restricted street during prescribed hours
Parked in a designated disabled persons parking place without clearly displayinga valid disabled persons badge
Parked or loading/unloading in a restricted street where waiting andloading/unloading restrictions are in force
Parked in a residents' or shared use parking place without clearly displayingeither a permit or voucher or pay and display ticket issued for that place
Parked in a permit space without displaying a valid permit
Parked in a parking place or area not designated for that class of vehicle
Parked in a loading place during restricted hours without loading
Vehicle parked more than 50 cm. from the edge of the carriageway and not within
a designated parking place
Parked adjacent to a dropped footway
Parked in a parking place designated for police vehicles
Parked on a taxi rank
Stopped on a restricted bus stop/stand
Stopped in a restricted area outside a school
Parked in a permit bay without clearly displaying a valid permit
EXAMPLES OF LOWER LEVEL CONTRAVENTIONS
Parked without clearly displaying a valid pay & display ticket
Parked after the expiry of paid for time
Parked without payment of the parking charge
Parked in a resident parking space without clearly displaying a valid residentsparking permit
Parked in a residents' or shared use parking place displaying an invalid permit,an invalid voucher or an invalid pay & display ticket
Not parked correctly within the markings of the bay or space
Parked for longer than permitted
Parked without payment of the parking charge Parked for longer than the maximum period permitted
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APPENDIX C
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PENALTY CHARGE NOTICES ISSUED 2009/10
Please note:
The percentages shown for items 1) and 2) relate to the total number of PCNs issued andare rounded to the nearest full percent.
The percentages shown in 3) and 5) only relate to the total for that item.
The data is correct as at 30th April 2010.
Total On-Street Off-Street
1) Total number of PCNs issued 11,251 4,978 (44%) 6,273 (56%)
1a) At the higher level rate (70) 2,382 (21%) 2,111 (19%) 271 (2%)
1b) At the lower level rate (50) 8,869 (79%) 2,867 (25%) 6,002 (54%)
2) Total PCNs paid 8,666 (77%) 3,868 (34%) 4,798 (43%)
2a) At the discount rate (within 14 days) 5,945 (53%) 2,626 (23%) 3,319 (30%)
2b) At other rates 2,721 (24%) 1,242 (11%) 1,479 (13%)
3) Appeals and challenges considered bythe Council
2,319
3a) Successful (appeal allowed) 1,400 (60%)
3b) Unsuccessful (appeal rejected) 919 (40%)
4) Cancelled other reasons (e.g. foreignvehicle or no record at DVLA)
514
5) Appeals considered by the independentadjudication service
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5a) Decision in favour of the Council 14 (58%)
5b) Decision in favour of the Appellant 10 (42%)
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APPENDIX D
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BREAKDOWN OF CONTRAVENTIONS FOR PCNS ISSUED
(showing on-street and car park contraventions and whether higher or lower level
penalty, and ranked in percentage order of the total issued)
On-street Parked in a restricted street - yellow lines (higher)
No valid pay and display ticket (lower)
Parked after expiry of time (lower)
Exceeded limited waiting time (lower)
Parked in a taxi rank (higher)
No residents permit displayed (higher)
Not parked correctly (lower)
Parked in a disabled bay with no blue badge (higher)Parked in a bus stop (higher)
Parked on a pedestrian crossing (higher)
Parked during loading/unloading restrictions (higher)
Parked in a police bay (higher)
Extended period of stay (lower)
26%
26%
15%
11%
6%
6%
4%
2%2%
0.5%
0.5%
0.5%
0.5%
Car Parks No valid pay and display ticket (lower)
Parked after expiry of time (lower)
Parked beyond the bay markings (lower)
Parked in a reserved bay (higher)Parked in a disabled bay with no blue badge (higher)
Extended period of stay (lower)
47%
40%
8%
2.5%2%
0.5%
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BREAKDOWN OF PCNs ISSUED BY AREA APPENDI
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On-Street Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Total % 2008
Ash-Cum-Ridley 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0.0% 0
Brasted 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 0.1% 0
Chevening 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0% 1
Crockenhill 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 7 0.1% 1
Dunton Green 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 1 6 0.1% 9
Edenbridge 37 14 9 33 26 32 42 49 23 24 20 23 332 6.7% 218
Eynsford 3 2 0 0 2 4 2 3 1 1 6 3 27 0.5% 18
Farningham 3 1 4 1 4 3 6 12 5 5 3 4 51 1.0% 54
Fawkham 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0% 0
Halstead 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0% 0
Hartley 1 6 2 2 2 1 1 1 3 0 0 0 19 0.4% 2
Hever 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 0.1% 1
Hextable 2 0 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 6 0.1% 2
Horton Kirby S Darenth 1 0 0 6 4 2 2 5 1 0 0 0 21 0.4% 16
Knockholt 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0% 0
Leigh 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0% 0
Otford 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 4 0 0 2 9 0.2% 5
Penshurst 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0% 7
Riverhead 6 9 13 9 5 11 6 4 5 2 6 6 82 1.6% 60
Seal 1 1 0 0 6 2 2 3 2 1 0 1 19 0.4% 17
Sevenoaks 268 272 244 285 228 223 290 225 174 185 178 238 2,810 56.4% 2,92
Shoreham 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0% 5
Sundridge 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 2 2 4 1 0 13 0.3% 8
Swanley 66 32 45 32 33 29 43 50 49 18 41 52 490 9.8% 294
West Kingsdown 0 2 0 1 3 4 0 2 6 1 3 3 25 0.5% 0Westerham 70 101 62 112 112 108 87 83 60 77 88 92 1,052 21.2% 706
On-street total 460 444 384 483 429 419 486 441 337 321 349 425 4,978 100.0% 4,34
50% 44% 43% 43% 45% 44% 46% 45% 45% 41% 41% 45% 44% 46%
Car Parks
Edenbridge 1 4 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 0% 22
Sevenoaks 403 500 467 587 472 486 525 508 398 430 460 493 5,729 91% 4,71
Swanley 27 24 19 21 17 10 7 10 8 11 14 13 181 3% 178
Westerham 29 43 31 41 35 33 36 30 13 27 24 13 355 6% 278
Car parks total 460 571 519 650 524 529 568 548 419 468 498 519 6,273 100% 5,19
50% 56% 57% 57% 55% 56% 54% 55% 55% 59% 59% 55% 56% 54%
Combined Total 920 1,015 903 1,133 953 948 1,054 989 756 789 847 944 11,251 9,54
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APPENDIX F
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INCOME AND EXPENDITURE
The income and expenditure figures shown below are provisional and are subjectto ratification by the Councils Auditors.
On-Street Parking 2009/10
Salaries 294,151
Transport 14,794
Maintenance 53,663
Supplies and Services 22,512
Total Expenditure: 385,120
Parking waivers - 3,466
Pay and display charges - 294,814
Penalty Charge Notices - 139,465
Permits - 105,587
Total Income: - 543,332
Balance (net income): - 158,212
Car Parks 2009/10
Salaries 193,962
Transport 9,936
Maintenance 63,689
Supplies and Services 40,593
Property 191,671
Total Expenditure: 499,851
Parking waivers - 1,076
Pay and display charges - 1,356,907
Penalty Charge Notices - 149,722Season Tickets - 311,625
Rent - 4,067
Total Income: - 1,823,397
Balance (net income): - 1,323,546