Issue - meetings

To receive a report of the Environment and Enforcement Manager and the Corporate Manager for People, Governance and Waste providing recommendations from the Parking Consultation Working Group.

Cabinet had before it a report * from the Environment and Enforcement Manager and the Corporate Manager for People, Governance and Waste providing recommendations from the Parking Consultation Working Group.

The Cabinet Member for Finance outlined the contents of the report with Particular reference to the following:

·         These are the first proposals put forward to the Cabinet for ratification by the recently formed Car Parking Consultation Group.

·         The Working Group was made up of town, business and community representatives and the purpose was to ensure that future parking and permit tariffs and issues had the input of local people and leaders before they are considered by members.

·         It was led by Cllr Guy Cochran and had the assistance of both Luke Howard, Environment Enforcement Manager and Matthew Page, Corporate Manager for People, Governance and Waste,

·         The first two sets of proposals are for a new three hour tariff to be introduced in our long stay car parks to encourage residents and visitors to be able to spend longer in our District and Town Centres.

·         The second is for five free Car Parking Saturdays to be agreed in the build up to Christmas 2024 so local communities and businesses can plan ahead accordingly for this important time of year.

·         The Economy PDG have carefully considered these proposals and are very happy to send them to Cabinet for ratification this evening. You will see from the report that a wide set of terms of reference have been established and I look forward to bringing future recommendations from the group forwards over the coming months.

RESOLVED that:

1.    For Cabinet to APPROVE the proposed tariff changes that have come from the Car Parking Consultation Working Group and been recommended for approval by Economy PDG for ratification.

2.    For Cabinet to APPROVE five free Saturdays for parking at the Multi Storey car park, Tiverton, High Street (St Saviours), Crediton and Station Road, Cullompton in the lead up to Christmas 2024.

(Proposed by Cllr J Buczkowski and seconded by Cllr S Keable)

Reason for the Decision:

Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 regulates how changes can be implemented. Any decisions need to have consideration for this act and requirements for amendments.

To receive a report of the Environment and Enforcement Manager and the Corporate Manager for People, Governance and Waste providing recommendations from the Parking Consultation Working Group.

The Group had before it a report * from the Environment and Enforcement Manager and the Corporate Manager for People, Governance and Waste providing recommendations from the Parking Consultation Working Group. The group had been working through proposals to amend tariff functions in order to better support local community demand.

The contents of the report were outlined with particular reference to the following:

·       The Parking Consultation Working Group was formed to work with local communities and business groups to better understand the parking requirements of towns in Mid Devon. Members, Local business owners, Town Council and Officers represented the District through attending group meetings and these had been productive.

·       In order to determine the scope of the group and better understand what proposals could be explored, terms of reference were discussed and agreed by officers and representative members at its first meeting.

·       The group prioritised looking at long term stay tariffs and what could be done to potentially increase resident and visitor presence in our town centres. In particular, the group felt and aired the view that more needed to be done to incentivise the purchase of 3 hour parking tickets over purchasing 2 hour tickets. This would encourage people to spend longer periods of time when shopping and meeting family and friends in the community.

·       The group put forward new proposals regarding additional tariffs relevant to long stay car parks for consideration by the Economy Policy Development Group and, if seen as a viable option, by Cabinet for ratification. The priority for looking at this issue had come from representatives wanting the tariffs to be revised to encourage more visitors to stay longer in our town centres. It was felt by the group that this was a priority for consideration. By enabling users to have a varied choice in tariff options it would assist town centre business and encourage longer stays.

·       The proposals put forward by the group regarding Long Stay parking tariffs had been carefully deliberated and all aspects considered regarding how they supported the community, local businesses and the Council. The Council was praised by group members at its last meeting for taking steps to merge the gap between the Council and local communities when making decisions and for building greater collaboration and shared working.

·       The group was proposing to implement some additional tariff bands in Long Stay carparks throughout the district. The group was also proposing to implement a 3 hour tariff in Market Place, Tiverton, to support medium stay visitors in the centre of town. The group had also requested this PDG to consider five free Saturdays in the Multi Storey Car Park, Tiverton, High Street, Crediton and Station Road, Cullompton to support Christmas 2024. The proposed dates were:

·       23 November 2024

·       30 November 2024

·       7 December 2024

·       14 December 2024

·       21 December 2024

·     Further explorative discussions had been held about the possibility of offering free Sunday parking to compliment the Saturdays. This would be further looked into regarding funding and viability.

·     The proposals had  ...  view the full minutes text for item 63