Letter from Roger Williams MP

A Fulsome Letter from County Councillor E M Jones OBE Executive Leader, Powys County Council to Roger Williams MP for Brecon and Radnorshire

Please see the letter from Cllr Jones to Kirsty Williams AM. in our previous blog; this letter to Mr Williams, our local MP is rather more detailed, but as Mr Williams, comments, "not much help".

As with the letter to Kirsty, several of Mr Jones' comments bear closer examination and questions asked! "Our intended parking reviews should ensure that local restrictions are looked at afresh and continue to be appropriate." Well, "appropriate" is an interesting choice of word, it's an opinion, although not one universally shared!

Mr Jones continues, "As you say, a pilot was prepared for Hay some years ago but unfortunately there was insufficient interest at the time to implement it." I believe that to be an interesting interpretation of the facts!

Anyway, all grist to the mill and a useful prompt for all residents and traders in Powys to make sure that all ideas for appropriate and workable parking policies are ready for the council's consideration in September.

Letter from Kirsty Williams AM

Thank you Kirsty for taking an interest in our parking problems in Powys.

I suppose such a platitudinous letter from Mr Jones is only to be expected, but we shall be interested to find out what he means in his letter "I understand we are now hearing approval for the new arrangements" We shall have to ask him!

You cannot help but admire Mr Jones' last paragraph - "In the interim our enforcement will aim to continue being effective and consistant but proportionate." I am at a loss for words!

We also received a letter from Roger Williams MP and that is added as our next blog.

REMEMBER

Keep working on ideas and proposals for new parking regulations in your town or locality.

A Battle Won, the Campaign Continues!

100% Council Support for CRAP Campaign

Councillors Gareth Ratcliffe and Clair Powell presenting the CRAP petition to Powys Council Chairman Cllr Barry Thomas

On Thursday last, Councillor Gareth Ratcliffe’s motion calling for Powys County Council to bring forward to September 2011 ‘work on a review of parking restrictions, traffic management and off street parking with consultation with key stake holders such as town and community councils and chamber of trades’ throughout the county’, was passed with one hundred percent support from all councillors at the full council meeting in Llandrindod Wells.

Councillor Ratcliffe’s proposal, seconded by Cllr. Clair Powell is almost exactly that called for by CRAP in our blog and petition which has received support from almost 1000 signatories since its inception in early May.

This welcome volte-face by Powys County Council leaders is a direct result of local pressure and bodes well for the effectiveness of local democracy. It is vital that pressure is kept up on the council to ensure that now this small battle has been won, the campaign is not forgotten.

It is only seven weeks to September and it is vital that residents, traders and all other interested parties register their ideas and thoughts regarding what the council must do to ensure sensible parking policies are introduced for Powys.

Over the next few days, CRAP will be working on suggestions for residents’ parking in Hay-on-Wye together with suggestions for changes to existing town centre restricted parking zone terms and conditions. It is planned that a public meeting will be called to discuss these and other proposals to ensure that as of September 1st, commonly and democratically agreed parking proposals will be in place for the town.

We understand that Talgarth has already prepared plans for the town centre and hope that over the next few weeks, other towns and communities throughout Powys will similarly have produced schemes to put to the council in September.

Fear Stalks the Streets of Powys

Press Release to the BBC

Fear now stalks the street of the towns and villages of Powys. For long residents had thought themselves fortunate to live in a county where friendliness prevailed and a smile is the norm.

Since Powys County Council took over responsibility for parking enforcement from the police on April 1st, everything has changed.

Residents of our towns and villages long used to the tolerant, commonsense enforcement of local parking regulations by community police, now spend their time on the lookout for any of Powys’ ten new smartly uniformed Civil Enforcement Offices scouring the streets for wrongdoers (they generally hunt in packs of two), or scurry round looking for somewhere safe to park.

Visitors upon whom so much of our economy depends now find themselves unwilling benefactors of our avaricious council, the fines levied on their unwitting parking misdemeanours flowing into county coffers.

One visitor who parked outside a bay alongside two CEOs sitting in their vans in the full to overflowing Hay on Wye town centre Car Park, returned to find her car ticketed; a carer, responsible for the day to day needs of a nonagenarian resident, has been ticketed and chased off the street beside the house she must visit; a visitor to the town centre ticketed in an area where it seems no parking order apples whilst only this week, a resident received a ticket from a warden who himself had parked illegally!

Ill will and anger prevail and contempt is building for a county council perceived to be unrepresentative and avaricious. CRAP, the Campaign for a Realistic Approach to Parking, through its blog, on-line petition and campaign of publicity is pressurising Powys County Council to consult with its constituency over this contentious and divisive issue

ENDS

Who'd be a Traffic Warden?

The Job of a CEO

Powys County Council’s ten new Civil Enforcement Officer (CEOs otherwise known as traffic wardens) are a much maligned and under appreciated group of dedicated public servants ‘employed in accordance with Section 76 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 to carry out the function therein,’

Have some sympathy for the overwhelming burden of their responsibilities. According to Powys County Council’s ‘Prohibition and Restriction of Waiting and Loading and Parking Spaces Civil Enforcement and Consolidation Order 2011, enacted on April 1st last, CEOs must:

Be dressed in a uniform, ‘in accordance with the Civil Enforcement Officers (Wearing of Uniforms) Regulations 2007’, worn ‘in accordance with section VIII of the Statutory Guidence,’ they will carry ‘personal voice radios’ or ‘mobile phones’ to ‘maintain contact with their base’ and a ‘photo-identity card that will uniquely identify them without displaying their name.’ They will have been trained by a ‘specialist company’ subjected to ‘formal assessment’, be certificated and must conduct themselves ‘in accordance with Sections VII and VIII of the Statutory Guidence.’

CEOs are responsible for the civil enforcement of Limited Waiting Parking Places; Specific Parking Places; Pay and Display Parking Places; Suspending Parking Places; the manner of standing of vehicles in Parking Places, restrictions on the use of vehicles in Parking Places and of course exemptions on parking by a vehicle in a Parking Place.

Furthermore they must oversee Verge and Footway Parking, Ticket Machines, Pedestrian Crossings, the Placing of Traffic Signs, Restrictions and Prohibitions on Stopping, Waiting, Loading and Unloading; Boarding and Alighting from Vehicles, Funerals and Weddings, Parking Places, Waiting or Parking by Disabled Persons’ Vehicles, Taxi Ranks and of course Car Parks.

All this whilst always being aware of General Exemptions, Emergencies, Event only Prohibitions and Restrictions and General Conditions of Waiting or Parking in Unregulated Situations.

It goes without saying that CEOs must ensure that any vehicle contravening parking regulations is not ‘being used by a doctor or nurse visiting premises adjacent to the Parking Place whilst undertaking their professional duties’, is not a ‘hearse and chief mourners’ vehicle’ attending a funeral or is a ‘bridal and attendants’ vehicle’ at a wedding.

CEOs can always ‘alter or cause to be altered’ the position of a vehicle ‘in order that its position’ complies with regulations applicable to the Parking Place, or as a final resort ‘attach an immobilisation device’ or ‘cause the removal of a vehicle’.

Of course they must always remain aware of the rights of ‘Passenger Vehicles, Light Goods Vehicles, Motor-Cycles and Disabled Persons’ vehicles’ parked and displaying Residents Parking Permits or Dispensation Certificates. (Fortunately their job is made simpler by Powys Council not issuing any such permits or certificates.)

Oh yes; CEOs’ ‘primary role’ is to ‘encourage considerate parking’, ‘improve road safety, traffic flow and the environment’, give ‘advice and assistance to the public’ and ‘help motorists understand parking rules and park correctly’. All this whilst identifying ‘persistent evaders’; working with the police and ‘Neighbourhood Safety Teams’ to keep the streets ‘safe and secure’, reporting on ‘signs and parking equipment that requires attention’, monitoring ‘immobile objects in parking bays’, reporting ‘vehicles with no valid tax disc to the DVLA’ and of course, reporting ‘abandoned vehicles’.

Is it any wonder that most CEOs find it easier merely to lie in wait to ambush the unwary and issue Penalty Charge Notices – it’s far more simple, and anyway their wages are paid from the fines they levy.

BBC reports New Powys parking wardens branded 'too strict.

We are not alone!

for the full story, follow

http://www.bbc.co.uk./news/uk-wales-mid-wales-14046002

EXTRACTS FROM THE ARTICLE

New council traffic wardens in Powys have been branded "too strict" by some businesses and councillors.

There are claims in Machynlleth, Presteigne and Hay-on-Wye that parking officers are being overzealous, and having an effect on trade.

Powys council said between 1 April and 30 June its CEOs issued 1,522 parking tickets, with 27 of those issued in Presteigne's High Street, Hereford Street and two car parks. The authority has been asked how many tickets were issued in Machynlleth and Hay-on-Wye for the same period.
Dyfed-Powys Police have been asked to provide comparison figures for 2010.

In Machynlleth, the former chairman of the town's chamber of trade, jewellery shop owner Kelvin Jenkins, said trade would suffer. "I question the strict, draconian measures to control parking. It's bound to effect trade. It was pretty easy going before, unless someone was causing a major problem. The fear of parking tickets is bound to serve as a deterrent to visitors."

Machynlleth butcher Will Lloyd Williams said the new parking enforcement system needed to be more flexible.

“Since the county council took over parking they have been more zealous in their approach to enforcement” said John Kendall, Mayor of Presteigne "I went to a football meeting in Llanidloes recently and I heard people saying: "Don't go to shop in Machynlleth because you'll get a ticket." "If people are getting that message then it's going to have an effect on trade."

In Presteigne, there are claims elderly drivers are reluctant to park in the high street for fear of receiving a ticket.

Mayor John Kendall said: "There's a parking period of 20 minutes in the high street. People used to risk it and park for longer, but now this limit is being enforced. People, especially the elderly who cannot walk from the car park, are being deterred from parking in the high street."

"Twenty minutes simply isn't long enough for people to do their day-to-day shopping and we have asked the county council to extend the time limit."

In Hay-on-Wye, the Campaign for a Realistic Approach to Parking has been set up. The group has launched an online petition, and is calling for a residents' parking policy and free parking for residents.

A Powys council spokesman said "We are aware of the claims that the civil parking enforcement officers are enforcing the existing parking regulations in an overzealous manner, but we have received no specific complaints on this issue."

Meanwhile, the council has announced a county-wide review of parking later this summer.
It will look at waiting restrictions in towns, and will take into account views and concerns raised by communities following the introduction of civil parking enforcement in April.

But the council said the review would not address claims that parking officers were too strict.

Oh dear! Councillor Hopkins

Brecon and Radnor Express article



Today’s (6th July) issue of The Brecon and Radnor Express headlines an article by Twm Owen ‘Council to look at Parking’. Well done the B&R.

The article reports that the council have agreed to meet residents and traders’ demands, to start work on a review of traffic management and parking throughout Powys as highlighted in CRAP’s campaign.

Cllr Geraint Hopkins (Powys County Council cabinet member responsible for parking – and one recipient of the recently distributed £50,000 “saving” made by reducing cabinet numbers)denies a U-turn and in the final paragraph of the article is quoted as saying “parking revenues are worth about £1.4 million annually to the council which would need to raise council tax by around three percent to compensate for the loss of income.”

Cllr Hopkins has previously stated that the Council was driven to take over responsibility for parking enforcement from the police for reasons of safety and traffic flow rather than using it to create income. Does this statement of his perhaps reveal his true concerns?

Mr Hopkins, we take this opportunity to ask you:

How is the £1.4 million total income you quote derived? Is it inclusive of all car parking income, including that from car parks, car parking permits and fines? If so, is it calculated using estimated penalty income?

Do you believe that introducing a ‘countywide review of car parking restrictions’ will reduce ‘parking revenue’ income?

If not, what was the reason for making such an irrelevant and misleading statement?

One rule for them, one rule for us!

An email from a justifiably irate resident

Thanks for your continued good work to fight this idiotic scheme.

Spent another day working from home this week whilst looking out for traffic wardens. Heard the usual commotion outside as neighbours come outside to move cars, or try and reason with these people.

I got told to move my car, so as usual I ended up driving 250m to Gypsy Castle and taking someone's parking space there. My blood pressure rising sky high over the utter pointlessness and stupidity of it all.

On my walk back I noticed that the TW had parked outside the BT building right under the "no parking" sign. I decided it would be fun to take a photograph of this glaring example of double standards, only to be on the receiving end of a stream sarcastic comments from the TW - such a pleasant fellow!

My neighbour, a carer for an elderly gentleman, told me afterwards that the same TW gave her a ticket even though she had told him that she had applied for and was waiting for a disabled badge.

Anyhow, I thought you might like this picture - apologies for the poor quality.

Regards,

Someone should be told!

PLEASE KEEP THE E-MAILS COMING

Victory is Closer

A Press Release issued by Powys County Council on 1st July.

At last the council have seen the light - it was a train coming towards them!

Car Parking Review

A county-wide review of car parking in Powys will begin later this summer, the county council has announced.

The review, which will look at existing waiting restrictions that operate in different towns, will take into account views and concerns raised by communities following the introduction of Civil Parking Enforcement in April.

Cabinet Member for Environment and Regulation, Councillor Geraint Hopkins said; “We have worked closely with elected members and their communities during the implementation of the scheme so sensible enforcement action is taken to address road safety matters and to ensure that traffic flows around the road network.

“We had intended carrying out a thorough review of the implementation later in the year but because the public have raised a number of concerns we have brought it forward. “Work will start in the summer and look at a number of issues including residents parking and we hope to develop new on and off street parking policies capable of balancing the competing demands of road safety, traffic flow and adequate parking for businesses and residents.”

Now our work really starts. Let's get all suggestions and ideas for on and off-road parking in our communities developed not only for the benefit of residents and businesses in Powys but also visitors to our beautiful county.