Parking Services - annual report 2022-23

Neath Port Talbot is a county borough and one of the unitary authority areas of Wales. Neath Port Talbot is the 8th most populous county in Wales and the third most populous county borough.

The county borough borders the other principal areas of Bridgend and Rhondda Cynon Taff to the east, Powys and Carmarthenshire to the north and Swansea to the west. Its principal towns are Neath, Port Talbot and Pontardawe.

Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council were the first to introduce Decriminalised Parking Enforcement under the Road traffic Act 1991 in Wales. The enforcement of road traffic regulation orders by the authority came in to effect on 1st June 1999.

On 31st March 2008 the Road Traffic Act 1991 was replaced by the Traffic Management Act 2004, and all authorities currently enforcing traffic orders under the 1991 Act automatically became Civil Enforcement Areas under the new Traffic Management Act.

Enforcement of the on and off street traffic regulation orders comes under the Traffic management Act 2004.

(Section 78 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 and Regulation’s 9 and 10 of the Civil Enforcement of Road Traffic Contraventions (General Provisions) (Wales) Regulations 2013).

Civil Enforcement of Parking Contraventions (Representations and Appeals) (Wales) Regulations 2008.

Civil Enforcement of Parking Contraventions (Penalty Charge Notices, Enforcement and Adjudication) (Wales) Regulations 2008.

There is a requirement set out in the Statutory Guidance provided pursuant to the Traffic Management Act 2004 is for Local Authorities to produce and publish an annual report on parking enforcement activities.

Neath Port Talbot is committed to providing a fair, consistent and transparent Parking Service. Publishing clear statistical and financial information will help achieve this. This report includes information about the level of parking enforcement activity for the period 2022/2023, as well as the income and expenditure recorded in our ‘parking account’.

The overall aim of the Authority is to provide a Parking Service that supports residents, visitors and businesses within Neath Port Talbot. We set out to achieve this through the following objectives:

• Improve road safety and access to services for all road users including pedestrians
• Support the local economy by ensuring a turnover of vehicles in short stay parking bays

In 1999 the authority tendered two contracts one for the enforcement of on and off street parking and the other for the notice processing. The two contracts were won by Sureway Parking Services, which changed its name during the contract period to Vinci Parking Services.

Following a Member review, when the contracts were due to expire the authority brought both contracts back in-house in April 2007, transferring the Vinci personnel over to the authority.

Parking Services were initially based in Port Talbot town centre up until August 2013. This allowed for a shop facility for the public to purchase permits and pay parking fines. New software was purchased in 2013 which allowed residents to purchase or renew parking permits online. This meant there was no longer the need for a parking shop. Members of the public are still able to contact parking services with any queries via e-mail, telephone or in writing.

Parking Services operate from The Quays, in Baglan Energy Park and employs 18 members of staff. Enforcement is operational seven days a week. Seven beats cover the Borough, three in Neath, one in Port Talbot, one in Skewen, one in Pontardawe and one mobile patrol covering the rural areas. In addition to this a Mobile CCTV vehicle was obtained in February 2019 to assist in the enforcement of more rural areas and to keep up with demand for a presence outside schools.

Those people who have been issued with a Penalty Charge Notice are able to pay either over the telephone payment line, online, by post or in person at either of our Civic Centres. All appeals have to be in writing to Parking Services.

Neath Port Talbot Council operate most of the car parks in the Borough. Cashless payment is available in all car parks by means of card readers installed into the Pay and Display Machines, as well as pay by phone.

The car parks operated by Neath Port Talbot Council have 2,967 spaces as detailed below.

The Safer Parking Scheme is an initiative of the Association of Chief Police Officers aimed at reducing crime in parking facilities.

Thirteen of the car parks managed by Parking Services have achieved Safer Parking status. Park Mark® is awarded to car parks that have met the requirements of a risk assessment conducted by the police.

For customers using a Park Mark® car park, it reduces the fear of crime by showing that measures are in place to create a safer environment. More information and a list of accredited car parks can be found on the safer parking website.

Pay by Phone was introduced in our seafront car parks during 2021/22 in order to make it easier for customers to park without having to queue during peak periods. This has been rolled out during 2022/23 to our town centre car parks and has proven very popular with customers.

This payment method combined with the ability to pay by cash or card at our pay and display machines now gives customers three payment options when using our car parks.

Many local authorities have or are looking to phase out the ability for customers to pay by cash. We understand that some people are reluctant to embrace new technology so think that it is important to offer customers a choice of payment methods.

In the financial year 2022/23, 11,666 Penalty Charge Notices were issued, 9,003 on street and 2.663 off street.

The table below shows the split of Penalty Charge Notices issued between 01st April 2022 and 31st March 2023.

Number of vehicles immobilised - n/a

Number of vehicles removed - n/a

A total of 2,634 or 23% of all Penalty Charge Notices issued were cancelled for a variety of reasons. Each case is considered on merit with all mitigating circumstances taken into account.

At the time of reporting the remaining 983 Penalty Charge Notices are at various stages of recovery. Therefore the figures are subject to variation.

The table below shows the split of Penalty Charge Notices and the total of deployed hours on a monthly basis between 1st April 2022 and 31st March 2023.

All members of the public have the right to challenge a Penalty Charge Notice.

This can be done informally by writing to NPTCBC within 28 days of the issue of the Penalty Charge Notice or formally by making representation to NPTCBC after a Notice to Owner has been served on the person or company registered with the DVLA as the owner of the vehicle.

There is also recourse to appeal to The Traffic Penalty Tribunal which is an independent adjudication service if they are not happy about a decision that has been reached by Neath Port Talbot Council in regard to the Penalty Charge Notice.

31 appeals were made to Traffic Penalty Tribunal during 2022/23.
Further information on appeals to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal can be found at www.trafficpenaltytribunal.gov.uk.

When all attempts to recover outstanding charges have failed, Neath Port Talbot Council will apply to the Traffic Enforcement Centre (TEC) for a Warrant of Control. This enables the collection of the unpaid debt to the Authority. These warrants are then issued to Enforcement Companies to recover the outstanding debt at no cost to the Authority.

Further information about the Traffic Enforcement Centre can be found at:
https://courttribunalfinder.service.gov.uk/courts/traffic-enforcement-centre-tec

The Authority regrets that this action became necessary to collect outstanding charges; however, it is only taken when all other attempts to collect outstanding Penalty Charge Notices have failed. During 2022/23, 1,649 Warrants of Control were issued.

Regular briefings are held with all Civil Enforcement Officers and Parking Assistants to ensure that the enforcement and administration of Parking Services throughout the Borough is fair, transparent and consistent.

In conjunction with the Authorities Training & Development department, we have developed a good working relationship with Alpha Parking who provide our civil enforcement training. Two Civil Enforcement Officers obtained a City & Guilds Level 2 Award for Parking Enforcement Officers (1950) during 2022/23.

Ian Rees (Parking Services)
Lisa Davies (Accounts)

Please contact Steve Cook, Parking Manager on 01639 763968 or by e-mail at s.cook@npt.gov.uk if you have any questions in relation to this report