Agenda and minutes

To confirm the minutes from the previous meeting

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 6 June 2023 were approved as an accurate record and signed by the Chair.

To receive any apologies for absence

Apologies were received from Cllr Williams. Cllr Wyatt-Lowe substituted for Cllr Williams.

To receive any declarations of interest

A member with a disclosable pecuniary interest or a personal interest in a matter who attends a meeting of the authority at which the matter is considered -

(i)            must disclose the interest at the start of the meeting or when the interest becomes apparent

and, if the interest is a disclosable pecuniary interest, or a personal interest which is also prejudicial

(ii)           may not participate in any discussion or vote on the matter (and must withdraw to the public seating area) unless they have been granted a dispensation.

A member who discloses at a meeting a disclosable pecuniary interest which is not registered in the Members’ Register of Interests, or is not the subject of a pending notification, must notify the Monitoring Officer of the interest within 28 days of the disclosure.

Disclosable pecuniary interests, personal and prejudicial interests are defined in Part 2 of the Code of Conduct For Members

[If a member is in any doubt as to whether they have an interest which should be declared they should seek the advice of the Monitoring Officer before the start of the meeting]

There were no declarations of interest.

An opportunity for members of the public to make statements or ask questions in accordance with the rules as to public participation

It was noted that a member of the public from the Local Reporting Service was in attendance.

None.

Officers were thanked for providing responses to all the action points and it was confirmed there were no matters to be discussed. It was suggested that anyone with comments or updates regarding the responses contact T Angel within the next week, and that these items would otherwise be marked as closed off after that time.

C Silva Donayre gave a brief overview of the work, explaining that it was from work undertaken as part of the parking business case and had looked at how to use council assets most effectively and ensure parking charging policies were fair and appropriate, highlighting proposed changes to tariff and charging policies including removing free or partially free parking across the borough, policies relating to chargeable hours, and the rationalisation of long and short stay parking tariffs, the details of which would be determined through consultation following cabinet approval. Proposed parking tariff increases were identified to be 40p for all off-street parking, which would mean an estimated 25% increase in off-street income and broadly reflects the 25% inflation since the last increase in 2019, plus a standardised hourly charge for on-street parking of £2 per hour across the borough. The report was confirmed to include details on the context and impact of the proposed changes, as well as work undertaken to explore the potential benefits of smart technology and parking, with a proposal for parking commissioning work to be undertaken over the next year, and timescales and the consultation process.

B Hosier referred to page 23, point 2.5 and table 4, which showed an indicative timeframe for tariff and policy review, explaining that consultation would typically take 24 to 26 weeks to complete, plus getting a traffic regulation order signed, after which information boards could be manufactured and placed along with the update of information on the website, pay-and-display machines, and payment applications. It was noted that consultation would rely on a decision by the cabinet, and the results of the consultation would also have a potential impact on timelines and actions.

Cllr Freedman asked B Hosier to detail the consultation process, specifically how people would be notified, who would be asked for feedback, and how feedback would be collated and measured. B Hosier explained that in the case of changes with limited impact, typically the council employs a consultant to carry out the consultation, with every household impacted by the change contacted using a questionnaire with a range of questions for feedback and a free text area for general comment. In regard to a change with a wide range of impact, such as a change to tariffs, B Hosier explained that everything was done online, with adverts and notifications to direct individuals who wish to provide feedback appropriately. Cllr Freedman further asked how feedback would be incorporated into a proposal. B Hosier confirmed that the proposal would be set out and approved by the cabinet, and questions would be asked around the proposals put forward, which the consultants would then use the feedback from to generate a report that would be published online for transparency.

Cllr Wyatt-Lowe wondered why the increases were being proposed at the current time, and what the justification for the size of the increase was. B Hosier reiterated that 25% was the increase in inflation over the last four years since the tariffs last changed,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

Cllr Freedman noted that he had not received any items for discussion, and reiterated that these could be submitted at any time.

There being no other business, the meeting was closed at 9:25.