Agenda item

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Roger Mace)

Report to follow.

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Roger Mace)

The Chief Executive submitted a report presenting a review of Employee and Elected Member permits and charges.

The options, options analysis, including risk assessment were set out in the report as follows:

Option 1 was to approve the principle of an increase with a stepped increase over a number of years to reduce the gap with the full cost of the permit.  This will give employees more time to adjust to the new arrangements and to find alternative methods of travel. It is likely to result in a reduction of permits sold to staff over time but whether there would be any effect on traffic congestion and carbon emissions depends on how those staff eventually decide to travel to work.

Option 2 was to provide an option as recommended by the JCC which would reduce employee and Elected Member permits from seven day a week use to a five day a week permit. Officers propose that this should be at the current staff permit cost.  In most cases, this would involve a reduction to Monday to Friday use but would allow for use by staff who are required, for example, to work weekends as part of their 5 day working pattern.  This could be combined with limiting the use of the permit to the permit holder only.  Together this would reduce the maximum potential car parking usage by a significant amount but avoid the stepped increase set out in option 1.

A sub-option 2a would be in line with the JCC recommendation 4, to charge part time staff on a pro rata basis (number of hours worked per week divided by 37, and multiplied by the permit charge).  The permit would then be valid only for use during their working hours. It is anticipated that such an arrangement could be difficult to enforce due to the range of part time hours worked by different staff across the authority. Consideration of how this could happen would need to be undertaken should this option be chosen.     

Option 3 would be to retain the option of a seven day a week permit at a cost to be agreed that is in excess of the proposed five day permit. It should be noted that this would be in addition to the introduction of a five day permit.

Option 4 would be to review employee and Elected Member permit charges in line with the annual review of fees and charges in order to meet parking and budgetary commitments. This is effectively the “do nothing” option as it follows existing practice.

A further option (Option 5) could be combined with options 1, 2, 3 or 4, but would have further enhancements that include Green Badge parking and discounted bus travel. This may result in an increased number of fuel efficient vehicles being used by staff or a general move to public transport and is in line with the recommendations made by the JCC.

In all options there is also the opportunity to consider the parking practices that are currently in place. In particular there is an option to remove the specific parking permits that are available for The Wash at Lancaster Town Hall and make these spaces available to visitors to the Town Hall. In addition all permits could become personal to the permit holder and also during working hours only. This does have difficulties in enforcement as reflected in cabinet’s resolution in December 2006 when existing practices were maintained. Furthermore, should a decision be taken to subsidise permits for essential users only, it may be possible to consider alternative parking arrangements for the smaller group of staff that fall into this category and allow them to use short stay car parks which are nearer to their work base.

In all options, although particularly where there is a new form of permit being provided e.g. a five day permit, the lead in time to amend the Off-Street Parking Places Order would suggest that the implementation of the recommendations should be effective from 1^st April 2009 so that the employee, Member and public permit renewal dates become aligned and to ensure that all parking charges be determined at the same time.

The Officer preferred option was Options 2 (with option 2a) and 5 with an implementation date of 1^st April 2009.

Recommendations to Cabinet from the Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) meeting held on 16^th June 2008 were also included in the report as follows: 

(1)     That the employee, Member and public permit renewal dates be realigned to ensure that all parking charges be determined and introduced at the same time.

(2)     That permit charges be increased no higher than the rate of inflation, with effect from the 1^st April 2009.

(3)     That there be an option for employee and Member permits to be used 24 hours, 5 days, per business week.

(4)         That part-time staff be charged pro-rata.

(5)         That subsidised bus travel at sensible rates be looked at.

It was moved by Councillor Roger Mace and seconded by Councillor David Kerr:-

“That the recommendations, as set out in the report, be approved.” 

By way of an amendment, it was proposed by Councillor Jon Barry and seconded by Councillor Jane Fletcher :-

“(1)   That the word ‘Member’ be deleted from recommendation 1; that the word ‘all’ be replaced in recommendation 3 with the word ‘public’ and that two further recommendations be added:-

(2)         Recommendation 5: that Members do not have access to a subsidised permit but that parking costs be reimbursed when on council business.

(3)         Recommendation 6: that discounted bus travel be negotiated with Stagecoach as part of the Council’s Business Travel Plan.

2 Members (Councillors Barry and Fletcher) voted in favour of the amendment, 8 Members (Councillors Archer, Blamire, Bryning, Burns, Charles, Gilbert, Kerr and Mace) voted against, whereupon the Chairman declared the amendment to be lost.

Councillor Jon Barry then proposed a further amendment, seconded by Councillor Jane Fletcher, for a fifth recommendation be added to the four existing recommendations in the report:-

“That discounted bus travel, at no additional cost to the Council, be negotiated with Stagecoach as part of the Council’s Business Travel Plan.”

3 Members (Councillors Barry, Fletcher and Gilbert) voted in favour of the amendment, 7 Members (Councillors Archer, Blamire, Bryning, Burns, Charles, Kerr and Mace) voted against, whereupon the Chairman declared the amendment to be lost.

Members then voted on the original proposition.

Resolved:

(8 Members voted in favour (Councillors Archer, Blamire, Bryning, Burns, Charles, Gilbert, Kerr and Mace) and 2 Members voted against (Councillors Barry and Fletcher).

(1)     That the Employee, Member and Public permit renewal dates be realigned to ensure that all parking charges be determined and introduced at the same time, namely at 1^st  April.

(2)     That charges for permits of each type be increased with effect from the 1^st April 2009 by a percentage no higher than the rate of inflation since the previous setting of the charge for that permit.

(3)     That with an implementation date of 1^st April 2009, an option of a separately priced 5-day permit (i.e 24-5) be introduced for all permit holders (at a cost lower than the equivalent 24-7 permit). 

(4)     That charges for the eight month period from 1^st  August 2008 to 31^st  March 2009 should be at the same monthly rate as for the permits expiring on 31^st  July that they replace.

Officers responsible for effecting the decision:

Chief Executive.

Corporate Director (Regeneration).

Head of Property.

Reason for making the decision:

The decision to realign employee, Member and public permit renewal dates would ensure that all parking charges could be determined and introduced at the same time and that charges for each type of permit are increased by a percentage no higher than the rate of inflation.