Brum backs parking warden revamp
Birmingham Mail
By Jonathan Walker
23rd June 06
CALLS for a ban on targets which encourage parking wardens to hand out tickets were today welcomed by Birmingham City Council.
The city collects more money in fines than any other authority outside London last year, but Neil Dancer, chief highway engineer, denies that the wardens are over-zealous.
"We don't set targets here, but I know in other places it does happen, and then motorists think it's the same everywhere," he said.
He was speaking as the Commons Transport Committee published a hard-hitting inquiry warning parking policy across Britain was "inconsistent and confused".
"Our present parking system is, frankly, a mess", said the committee chairman, Gwyneth Dun-woody (Lab, Crewe and Nantwich).
She added that parking enforcement contracts with incentive regimes based on the number of tickets issued were "utterly misguided".
Birmingham was one of the first authorities to take over responsibility for parking enforcement, previously dealt with by police
The city collects £17.7 million a year in parking fines, and makes a profit of £6.7 million.
But its parking warden scheme has been dogged by complaints down the years. including:
* Birmingham restaurant owner Carmine Sacco, manager of San Carlo in the city centre, hit with a £60 ticket while he was asleep in his car in Snow Hill earlier this month.
* Disabled grandmother Bertha Williamson, 78, was issued with a ticket because her orange badge was upside down.
* Jobseeker Chris Butler received a ticket because the back of his car jutted slightly beyond the parking bay markings.
* District nurse Nicky Willetts, from Sutton Coldfield, was left fuming after a traffic warden slapped on a £60 parking ticket as she delivered equipment to a patient's home.
* Ray Hickinbotham, dressed as Santa, was fined as he was handing out presents in Birmingham Children's Hospital.
Mr Dancer said: "We are the largest local authority. If you look at the amount of parking fines per person, we are actually eighth or ninth.
"We train our staff in depth, and there is also a code of conduct. This is an emotive issue, and sometimes we are accused of setting targets for wardens to hand out tickets. We don't do that in Birmingham."
Mr Dancer added: "I welcome this report, because if it leads to standards improving across the country then that is a good thing."
By Jonathan Walker
23rd June 06
CALLS for a ban on targets which encourage parking wardens to hand out tickets were today welcomed by Birmingham City Council.
The city collects more money in fines than any other authority outside London last year, but Neil Dancer, chief highway engineer, denies that the wardens are over-zealous.
"We don't set targets here, but I know in other places it does happen, and then motorists think it's the same everywhere," he said.
He was speaking as the Commons Transport Committee published a hard-hitting inquiry warning parking policy across Britain was "inconsistent and confused".
"Our present parking system is, frankly, a mess", said the committee chairman, Gwyneth Dun-woody (Lab, Crewe and Nantwich).
She added that parking enforcement contracts with incentive regimes based on the number of tickets issued were "utterly misguided".
Birmingham was one of the first authorities to take over responsibility for parking enforcement, previously dealt with by police
The city collects £17.7 million a year in parking fines, and makes a profit of £6.7 million.
But its parking warden scheme has been dogged by complaints down the years. including:
* Birmingham restaurant owner Carmine Sacco, manager of San Carlo in the city centre, hit with a £60 ticket while he was asleep in his car in Snow Hill earlier this month.
* Disabled grandmother Bertha Williamson, 78, was issued with a ticket because her orange badge was upside down.
* Jobseeker Chris Butler received a ticket because the back of his car jutted slightly beyond the parking bay markings.
* District nurse Nicky Willetts, from Sutton Coldfield, was left fuming after a traffic warden slapped on a £60 parking ticket as she delivered equipment to a patient's home.
* Ray Hickinbotham, dressed as Santa, was fined as he was handing out presents in Birmingham Children's Hospital.
Mr Dancer said: "We are the largest local authority. If you look at the amount of parking fines per person, we are actually eighth or ninth.
"We train our staff in depth, and there is also a code of conduct. This is an emotive issue, and sometimes we are accused of setting targets for wardens to hand out tickets. We don't do that in Birmingham."
Mr Dancer added: "I welcome this report, because if it leads to standards improving across the country then that is a good thing."
posted by Neil Herron at 9:57 AM
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