Traffic wardens are set to make a return to the streets of Caerphilly County Borough – although a firm date has yet to be agreed.
Gwent Police has said that from April 1, 2018, it will no longer be enforcing on-street parking restrictions and will instead transfer responsibility to the local authorities its area covers – which includes Caerphilly County Borough Council.
Superintendent Nick McLain, of Gwent Police, said: “Throughout the rest of Wales, local authorities are the lead agency for parking enforcement, rather than the police.
“To ensure there is a consistent approach across the country it is our intention to transfer the enforcement of parking in Caerphilly County Borough to the local authority.
“As you would expect, we will work closely with our local authority partners on this matter to ensure the public receive an effective service.”
However, there is a snag. While responsibility for parking enforcement will no longer be with the police from April 1 next year, there could be a period of uncertainty following the date with Caerphilly County Borough Council admitting it will not be ready in time.
Caerphilly County Borough Council leader Dave Poole said: “Earlier this year we received notification from Gwent Police that they intend to withdraw their officers and staff from activities that involve enforcing parking restrictions as of April 1, 2018.
“However, our current position is that we, along with the other Gwent local authorities, agreed to progress business cases in order to better understand the policy, financial and operational implications of taking on Civil Parking Enforcement powers.
“This work is progressing, after which reports will need to be prepared for members’ consideration.
“Following members’ consideration, and should approval be granted, there is a statutory process to be undertaken with the Welsh Government to formally transfer the relevant powers.
“We, along with the other local authorities are currently liaising with Gwent Police in relation to the relevant timescales within which this can be achieved – however it isn’t envisaged that this process will be achieved by April next year.”
According to an email sent to councillors from Christina Harrhy, the council’s Corporate Director for Communities, that process could take anywhere between 15 and 24 months. This includes a six-month application to the Welsh Government from the council for powers to enforce on-street parking restrictions.
Currently, any revenue generated through parking fines issued by the police goes straight to the UK Treasury.
When the local authority takes over enforcement and issues fines through its traffic wardens, it will get to keep the revenue.
Councillors have backed the transfer of responsibility from Gwent Police.
Cllr Colin Mann, leader of the Plaid Cymru group on Caerphilly Council, and a ward member for Llanbradach, said: “Plaid Cymru has been strongly in favour of Caerphilly Council taking over enforcement because the police have not been able to carry out the work necessary. This has led to many motorists just ignoring double yellow lines, parking in bus and disabled parking bays and outside schools.
“There are significant parking problems across Caerphilly County Borough and during the last election our Ystrad Mynach councillors Martyn James and Alan Angel were among those highlighting the issue.
“In fact, in our election manifesto for May’s election, we pledged to introduce civil enforcement to address this and bring some order.
“Myself and my fellow Llanbradach councillor Rob Gough have raised parking issues in our own village with the police and we’ve been told that parking is one of their lowest priorities. That is why a civil enforcement scheme needs to be brought in, as happens in areas like Cardiff.”
Cllr Nigel Dix, who represents Blackwood as an independent, said: “This is long overdue. There have been instances where residents with children in pushchairs have been forced on to the road because of people’s irresponsible parking, and people who are disabled struggling through the high street.
“We have been pushing for this for years and hopefully we can make the high street safer.”
Cllr James Pritchard, who represents Caerphilly town’s Morgan Jones ward for Labour, also welcomed the development.
He said: “There needs to be dedicated traffic wardens in the town centre. If that’s commissioned by the local authority, then I would support that.”
The council already have parking wardens who enforce parking in their public Pay & Display car parks it will be easy for them to be used to enforce parking in general as they already have the necessary training.
Parking enforcement is a full time necessity and they will be kept very busy – but the scheme should be self financing.
As more than one council wil be involved in this process it will be vital that All councils adopt the same approach and employ the same group of enforcers.
They’d be very busy in my area, where probably like many others in Caerphilly inconsiderate motorists seem to believe they can leave their vehicle wherever they choose regardless of any parking restrictions. On a junction, on double yellow lines and on the pavement is what many residents near me seem to think is a perfectly acceptable place to park their car.
I think thats the problem in many other areas too – people are inconsiderate.
We should adopt the approach used in many areas
like London and Bristol and uplift the offenders vehicle onto a recovery truck and remove it to the pound.
Offenders would then have to pay a release fee and possible additional storage charges – not to mention having the inconvenience of a trip to the pound to collect their vehicle !
I think this approach would reduce repeat offending !
We have become too soft in our approach in this country.
The other issue is that the council will try and enforce parking on the cheap and not provide sufficient staff – we would need at least 1 Civil Enforcement Officer for each area ( a total of around 30 in all ).
I’d happily do my road for free once a day, the problem we have is that one resident uses the pavement to park on then it’s not long before others follow suit and now it has just become the norm. The pavements are for pedestrians and double yellow lines are there for a good reason, if folk don’t have either sufficient off road parking or a legal place to park then they should not be permitted to own a vehicle.
Over the years I have seen an increase in traffic on our roads. Our house were not built with sufficient parking for cars. We can not dictate how many cars a household should have, at one point there was four cars in our home. The council needs to make more off road parking for people and the police need to take parking more seriously, I have seen too many police constabules and community police walking past cars that is parked on double yellow lines and near junctions and have done appsoultly nothing at all. Its only a minor crime but if allowed to get away with this people carry on and break laws. I’m sure they wouldn’t be so leanant on speeding. It concerns me that we don’t know who will carry out this enforcement, private firm or council wardens. I don’t think council wardens should carry out this task as they can’t carry out the many tasks they are involved with now
With the councils under pressure with cuts and now the police have palmed off parking on to them. I wonder how much will this all cost the council. Also who is going to take on these extra duties? The council wardens can’t deal with basic problems let alone the parking problems that exist within in our towns. Also my grandson showed me their web page and don’t think that 9 wardens can cope with parking In the whole of the county, when the police have station in every town and they can’t cope. I also worry about firms using this as a prIf it making scheme. Well done Gwernt constabulary for getting rid of one of your biggest problems. True to form if you can’t solve the problem pass the buck
That’s a good point – they’ll need more than 9 staff to deal with parking.
The council already has parking wardens enforcing the Pay & Display Car Parks so it seems logical and common sense that they would take over the parking enforcement – but I dont know how many staff they have ?presumably not as many as Gwent Police have to deal with parking !
This will be another ill thought out scheme of power grabbing /money making by the councils ( remember how putting pay & display machines in countryside parks didn’t raise as much money as projected ! )
And let’s not forget this will affect not only Caerphilly but also Torfaen;Blaenau Gwent and Monmouth County Councils – so surely all will have to agree to a common policy of enforcement.
Council management never seem go against the demands of their Councillors so we can take it for granted the proposals will go through unchallenged.
Council managers should have the authority over the deployment of their staff but it seems many Councillors get drunk on the small beer of perceived “power”and their demands are always granted.
Sadly the councillors have too much power over various council departments. I also fear that there wil be a massive power struggle between the councils, sadly the only losers will be the public
In my experience of local government it is the vested interest and ambitions of the council officers, rather than elected councillors, that we need to watch closely
I think that they both have too much power and take the voters for granted.
The difference is that you can remove one but not the other. Councillors are wary of upsetting the electorate, council officers are not.
Also council officers are paid huge salaries which set them apart from the bulk of of us and give them a very different perspective to, say, the factory or shop worker.
It all comes back to being to complacent in your role and thinking you are above everyone
That’s true, very few would survive in the private sector.
A spell in the private sector would be a good idea for many – perhaps they would then realise that they should treat the public purse as if it were their own money and perhaps they would manage their budgets more wisely which in turn should reduce wastage of public funds
Well this means that our council tax will raise to pay for our incompetent Gwent police.
And money raised from parking tickets will pay the wage of our lazy plaid cymru councillors.