Issue - meetings

To consider the report of the Director of Customers and Community (copy enclosed).

The Council considered the report of the Car Parking Task and Finish Working Group updating Members following the introduction of weekend and evening parking charges.  The report also sought authority to extend the agreed parking review period and introduce a temporary resident permit for the Wantz Road area.

Councillor Mrs P A Channer declared that in respect of recommendation (iii) Wantz Road fell within her division and she had done a lot of work and been involved with this area.

Appendix 1 to the report provided performance data for the first three months of operation following changes made to parking charges in April 2016.

Members’ were reminded that a review of the new arrangements was to be undertaken within six months, with full stakeholder involvement, reporting back to the Community Services Committee.  The Car Parking Task and Finish Working Group (the Working Group) had met on a number of occasions during the implementation and at its last meeting Stakeholders had discussed the difficulty of gathering evidence to show the impact, if any, of the new charges.  A letter from the Director of the Maldon and District Community Voluntary Service was attached as Appendix 2 to the report and requested that Members defer any decision on increasing parking charges as part of the 2017 / 18 budget process until the review reaches a conclusion.  This was supported by the Working Group.

It was noted that new charges for residents’ parking permits were introduced, at cost, for residents of the housing near to the car parks affected by evening or weekend charges.  The Council had recently been approached by residents from the Wantz Road area requesting a similar arrangement.  The Director of Customers and Community informed Members that a resident’s parking scheme was due to be introduced by the South Essex Parking Partnership in 2017.

In response to questions, the Director of Customers and Community advised that car parking machines were emptied on a regular basis and reference to the Town Centre Car Park income figures did not include those at the Promenade Park.

RESOLVED

(i)              that the Council notes the service performance of Maldon Town Centre Car Parks since the introduction of weekend and evening charging period,

(ii)            that the Council agrees to the extension of the 6 month review of the impact of the introduction of new charges on the community until January 2017,

(iii)         that a new temporary resident’s parking permit be made available to eligible residents living in Wantz Road, America Street and Wantz Chase on Saturdays and Sundays only until the South Essex Parking Partnership implement a resident’s parking scheme in the area.