Parking Annual Report 2022/23

Contents

1. Introduction from Councillor Trevor Muten – Chair of the Transport & Sustainability Committee 2

2. Parking Objectives and Strategies. 3

3. Electric Vehicles. 6

4. Blue Badges and Concessionary Travel 10

5. Design and Implementation of our Parking Schemes. 11

6. Parking Enforcement. 12

7. Suspensions. 17

8. Challenges, representations, and appeals. 18

9. Bus Lanes, Bus Gates and CCTV.. 19

10. Car Parks. 20

11. Permits. 22

12. Our Customer Mission. 24

13. Financial Information. 26

14. Where our income goes. 27

1. Introduction from Councillor Trevor Muten – Chair of the Transport & Sustainability Committee

It is my pleasure to welcome you to Brighton & Hove City Councils Parking Annual Report for 2022/23.

This year’s report details what has happened within Parking Services over the last financial year, under the previous administration. It contains an overview of important financial information, including how the income raised last year was invested. The report also sets out our new Labour administration’s ambitious approach to parking and transport initiatives.

Parking and traffic management are an important public service, which provides benefits for pedestrians, cyclists, bus passengers, taxis, those who travel by car and van, and the wider community. Those benefits include maintaining road safety and access to jobs, goods and services and access to the city for blue badge holders.

However, we know from listening to residents and hearing the experiences of visitors, that there is room for improving and simplifying parking in the city.  This is why, as the new Labour administration, we have commissioned a strategic review of parking strategy and traffic management with the aim of creating of a more equitable parking service for residents, visitors and businesses alike. We will continue to progress this work over the coming year.

Parking Services are also at the forefront of our drive towards becoming a carbon neutral city by 2030 and improving air quality. We are committed to the installation of more EV charge points to keep up with the growing demand in the city and to ensure we continue providing an enabling environment to encourage the switch to electric. Investing in new and developing initiatives is vital to achieving carbon neutrality and ensuring the prosperity of our city.

The service has also been focussing on social value with its contracts and the newly procured enforcement contract is great example of how the council is working with suppliers to ensure we get the best value for the contracts.

Thank you for taking the time to read the Annual Report which we hope you find interesting.

Councillor Trevor Muten – Chair of the Transport & Sustainability Committee

2. Parking Objectives and Strategies

It has been another busy year in Parking which has seen more changes to the services offered that will keep Brighton and Hove City Council modern and innovative.

Parking Services went out to tender for a new enforcement contract which was awarded to NSL Services in February 2023.  The new contract includes carbon reduction and Social Value initiatives.

To become carbon neutral, the city must reduce as much climate-damaging carbon emissions as possible from our actions as individuals, organisations, industry, agriculture, and business.

Around a third of Brighton & Hove’s carbon emissions come from transport.

What we have achieved so far in Parking Services

· Procuring contracts with companies that share our Carbon Neutral values.  Our Paid Parking Contractor PaybyPhone has Carbon Neutral status. NSL Services have a commitment to becoming net carbon neutral from the outset of the contract through working to reduce their emissions year on year.

· The use of biodegradable Penalty Charge Notices. The bag is made of Crystal Glassine paper which is made from wood pulp making it 100% recyclable and degradable.  The release paper is made of kraft paper which is also a fully recyclable and degradable material. In fact, it can be recycled numerous times.  The glue on the bag reverse is a chlorine free low tack adhesive.

· The Transport Control Centre Maintenance and Parking Design and Implementation teams now use fully electric cars.

·  The Parking Design and Implementation team use the newly procured NEC road marking contract which carries the highest scoring Carbon Neutrality performance of all the Key Performance Indicators under the Framework Contract.  The contractor is providing a quarterly submission of all Carbon Savings in tonnes achieved for each works order / task order / programme of works delivered over that period.

· Consultations are held online to save resources and paper (hardcopy versions are still available, but on a request only basis).

· NSL have electrified their entire fleet of vehicles.  New efficient tow trucks will be arriving summer 2023.

· More than 50% of the NSL workforce have completed carbon literacy training.

· Office lighting has been upgraded to LED lighting in both NSL bases with motion sensors.

· Previous NSL radio equipment has been recycled back into use with Radio Swap avoiding waste.

· Discounts are offered to residents and businesses on their permits if they use or own low emission vehicles.  Our permit data show that residents are generally moving away from higher emission vehicles.

Meters for Trees

In Autumn 2022, 140 trees were delivered to CityParks as part of PayByPhone’s carbon reduction initiative, Meters for Trees, to improve the environment. The 140 trees will offset 140 tonnes of CO2; 140 trees were also planted in 2021 and 2020.  Brighton and Hove City Council has also been allocated an additional 75 trees for 2024/25

3. Electric Vehicles

The Electric Vehicle charging network has continued to grow throughout 2022-2023.  According to Department for Transport figures there are currently just over 2,000 electric vehicles registered in Brighton & Hove by March 2023.

Independent forecasts of Electric Vehicle uptake growth have been made by UK Power Networks and the central government which both indicate that by 2030 this could increase to 27,000 electric vehicles registered in Brighton & Hove.

In addition to residential charging the charging infrastructure in the city will also need to cater for increasing numbers of visitors requiring public charging as part of their stay.

According to an independent analysis by ComparetheMarket, Brighton & Hove is one of the best-prepared areas for electric vehicle uptake in the UK based on the number of chargers per resident. In 2022 the city passed the milestone of having delivered 1 million kWh through the public charging network.

Independent research by Field Dynamics and Zap-Map shows that 77% of residents with no off-street parking, now live within a 5-minute walk of a public charger, one of the best rates in the country.

By the end of this reporting period our charging network consisted of 250 lamp column chargers, 55 fast chargers and 12 rapid chargers.

• Lamppost chargers deliver up to 3kWh per hour and can charge an electric vehicle fully in approximately 8 to 10 hours.

• Fast Chargers deliver 7.5kWh per hour (with the intent that these will upgrade to 22kWh). These can currently charge an electric vehicle fully in approximately 4 to 5 hours.

• Rapid Chargers deliver up to 50kWh per hour and can charge an electric vehicle fully in 30 minutes to an hour.

More sites are planned, and we have secured central government funding to create a small dedicated Electric Vehicle team. A further bid for £2.865m has been submitted to enable us to embark on an ambitious expansion of our charging network over the next 3 years. If this bid is successful, we will be going out to tender for the phase two procurement of a minimum of 1,650 chargers added across the City. These chargers will be primarily for residents, who do not have access to off-street parking, and will consist of a mix of slow, fast, rapid charge points.

All planned sites for Electric Vehicle chargers are subject to consultation through the Traffic Regulation Order process and we continue to respond to the demand for more Electric Vehicle bays, not only by installing new charging points but by also creating dedicated and enforceable Electric Vehicle charging bays   We are currently in the process of converting all lamp column bays to enforceable Electric Vehicle bays; rapid and fast charging bays are already enforceable. Going forward, all Electric Vehicle bays will be for charging only.

Rapid Charging Hubs

Three rapid charging hubs have been installed on Ashton Rise, Preston Park Avenue and Victoria Road, with a further two sites at Elm Grove and Pankhurst Avenue planned. These hub sites provide dedicated bays for electric taxis, as well as EV only bays for general public use. We are now investigating additional sites across the city for rapid chargers, which will be for public use. Identifying sites for rapid chargers requires consultation with the energy power supplier UK Power Networks (UKPN) to understand the demands on the network to ensure that there is sufficient supply. Working closely with UKPN, we are planning the City’s future demands for Electric Vehicle charging to ensure that, as a Council, we can supply a sufficient public network of chargers. We will continue to work with UKPN and our current and future charging providers to understand how many rapid points we are able to provide across the City.

Electric Vehicle disabled bays

We have been working closely with local disabled motoring groups to ensure that the charging points. and their location on-street, are accessible by people with a disability. Our charge point operator also has to adhere to strict national policy to ensure that the design of the unit and its placement is compliant with new accessibility requirements.

In line with our policy to ensure that there is adequate provision for disabled parking across the City, we also want to ensure that disabled badge holders and their drivers have access to Electric Vehicle charging. Two charging bays, accessible for disabled people only are now available at Rottingdean Marine Cliffs car park. Further sites will be considered as part of our expansion plans.

2021/22 saw continued improvement in use of existing infrastructure, with the introduction of Rapid Chargers in November 2021 creating a surge in both demand and the ability to deliver high levels of kWh.

Actual kWh delivery has increased almost 7 fold compared to the first year, with a forecast of at least 1 million kWh (1gWh) being delivered in 2022/23.

Our goal remains two-fold: to ensure high quality delivery and reliability of existing infrastructure while continuing a rolling program of infrastructure installation to ensure we remain ahead of demand from both residents but also a growing number of visitors.

4. Blue Badges and Concessionary Travel

Over the past year the Blue Badge and Concessionary Travel team have continued to support applicants when applying for Blue Badges and Concessionary Travel bus passes or with general enquiries. The team have been working hard to issue badges/passes or reach an outcome from an assessment ahead of their advertised processing time of 12 weeks. The team have successfully transitioned to a more digital way of working as a service, this has improved the teams efficiency and we have been supporting customers who do not have access to the internet by arranging appointments for the team to meet with them in the Customer Service Centre in Hove Town Hall to complete application forms, take photos or photocopies or just to guide them through the process. 

Enforcement update

The team are continuing to investigate reports of possible Blue Badge misuse and fraud, providing Blue Badge enforcement across the city. The Enforcement and Investigation Officers now have personal alarms and Body Cameras as part of their standard uniform. The Body Cameras are not only for their safety but also to provide evidence as part of the cases that are passed to the Council legal team for possible caution or prosecution.

The Enforcement and Investigation Officers continue to educate people on how a Blue Badge should be used, ensuring genuine Blue Badge holders are able to access goods and services more freely.

The team maintain a strong working partnership with Sussex Police offering Community Resolutions and are holding regular joint action days as part of Operation Bluebird. During these action days Blue Badges are being checked that are displayed in vehicles on street and the Police are also providing assistance in ongoing investigations.

The Blue Badge team are looking at future ways of educating people on the use of Blue Badges and ways to deal with those that abuse the system. As well as the Community Resolutions that we offer in conjunction with Sussex Police we are now offering cautions as another step in the program as well as prosecutions.

During 22/23 the Enforcement and Investigation Officers actioned:

•          Community Resolutions – 179

•          Cautions – 3

•          Prosecutions – 52

•          Blue Badges retained – 267

o          Blue Badges destroyed due to being expired, cancelled, or deceased – 153

5. Design and Implementation of our Parking Schemes

The Hallyburton Road area underwent a preliminary consultation and a further detailed design consultation for parking scheme proposals.

An initial consultation took place in June 2022 in an area known as the Top Triangle within the Hanover & Elm Grove. This was to establish whether residents wished to remain in the full scheme Zone V, Hanover and Elm Grove (Mon-Sun, 9am-8pm) or revert to the light touch scheme in Zone S, Hanover and Elm Grove (Mon-Fri, 11am-noon and 6pm-7pm). 

The Traffic Regulation Order for the Elm Grove Pavement Parking Ban was advertised in Feb 2023. As a result there has been a marked reduction in pavement parking in the area

Relining projects

•          Planned maintenance of Zone J (London Road Station) and F (Fiveways and Balfour) from May to September 2022.

2022-2023 activity

•          92 white lines applications have been processed.

•          116 successful applications and implementations of Disabled Parking Bays

•          443 highway searches have been processed

Traffic Regulation Orders

• 29 orders advertised, sealed, and implemented.

• 4 Experimental Traffic Regulation Orders advertised, sealed, and implemented.

• 1 amendment to an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (advertised, sealed, and implemented).

• 19 advertised Traffic Regulation Orders – awaiting decisions or implementation (or sealed after 31st March 2023).

• 5 notice of intentions advertised.

6. Parking Enforcement

Issuing of Penalty Charge Notices

There are currently over 80 Full Time Equivalent Civil Enforcement Officers (CEO’s)patrolling the city, checking vehicles on the city’s streets and in surface car parks, this is known as on street enforcement.  Off street enforcement refers to CEO’s patrolling the 5 barrier car parks in the city.

The table below shows the number of Penalty Charge Notices (PCN’s) issued in the last four years, divided according to higher and lower fee banding. Parking contraventions deemed to be “less serious” will incur a lower initial penalty than more serious offences.

The number of Penalty Charge Notices issued in 2022/23 increased by 3,860.

Total of Traffic Management Act (TMA) penalty charge notices issued	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23
On-street:	96,156	79,625	109,653	111,254
Number of higher-level penalty charge notices issued
On-street	26,452	20,086	28,333	29,565
Number of lower-level penalty charge notices issued
Off-street:	134	55	277	554
Number of higher-level penalty charge notices issued
Off-street:	1,506	1,479	4,057	4,807
Number of lower-level penalty charge notices issued
Total	124,248	101,244	142,320	146,180

PCNs by month

Penalty Charge Notices Paid & Paid at Discount

Penalty Charge Notices Paid Bus Lane & Traffic Management Act (TMA)	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23
Number of TMA & Bus Lane penalty charge notices paid	129,055	101,585	213,549	170,641
Percentage of penalty charge notices paid	72%	63%	76%	72%
Number of TMA & Bus Lane penalty charge notices paid at a discount rate	109,273	86,205	184,774	143,303
Percentage of penalty charge notices paid at a discount rate	61%	53%	66%	61%

Social Value

We have a statutory requirement to consider economic, social, and environmental well-being in connection with public service contracts.  We want to get the maximum impact for our residents from the millions of pounds spent in the city on public services.  Below are just some of the actions  that our Enforcement Contractor, NSL are undertaking with regards to social value:

· NSL support the Youth Employment Hub offering careers advice, CV writing and interview training.

· Work placements/experience – NSL have committed to support a local school with their leavers each year with things such as work experience and mock interviews.

· NSL will be introducing a helping hands initiative which will see colleagues passing on unwanted items to each other to reduce wastage and aid with the cost-of-living crisis.

Recruitment

· Currently 82% of the workforce reside in the Brighton and Hove area. 

· NSL have pledged to employ one local person from disadvantaged groups each year during the period of the contract. Networking is taking place to link up with organisations that work with people from disadvantaged groups, Brighton Housing trust, and The Youth employment Hub have been approached to arrange meetings, to discuss how they can work together to support disadvantaged groups including the homeless back into work. 

· NSL have a shadowing programme - for long term homeless or unemployed to experience the role which can lead to offering a position.  NSL are committed to employ 3 homeless people over the contract term.

Civil Enforcement Officers (CEOs) in the community

The Council’s Civil Enforcement Officers have a highly visible presence across Brighton & Hove. During their shifts Officers will frequently provide support to residents and visitors in the city.  This could include directions to local services and places of interest, reporting crimes and assisting other agencies including the emergency services.

Below are a few examples of when CEO’s have helped in the community:

· Senior CEO (Civil Enforcement Officer) 153 while in Florence Road witnessed an argument taking place, a pan flew into the road and crashed down in the middle of the junction. He observed two males, one with a table leg hitting the door of a property. One of the males approached SCEO 153 and asked if he would call the police, SCEO 153 noticed the male had smears of blood on his face, hand, and foot. The male informed SCEO 153 that he had been attacked with a knife and asked that the police be called. SCEO 153, immediately dialled 999 and advised the call handler what had happened. Whilst 153 was on the phone to the call handler a male approached him and identified himself as a police officer. He praised 153 for his actions. The police arrived and the offender was arrested.

· CEO 1060 came across a lady who felt faint and after asking if she was ok, provided support walking to the bus stop. As bus was arriving, he called a Taxi for her.

· CEO 647 was approached by a male who had received an eviction notice and said he could not read very well and did not know what to do. The CEO read the notice for him and advised him to contact the number on the letter urgently.

Monitoring Verbal Abuse Against Civil Enforcement Officers

Brighton and Hove City Council encourage CEOs to log any instances of abuse, this can be from name calling to physical attacks.  We understand that all forms of abuse are damaging, and that not all abuse is highlighted or reported.  With the introduction of bodycams in Summer 2023 we are hoping that this will deter abuse and will give CEO’s more confidence in carrying out their daily duties.   

Abuse Logging

Every September, NSL conduct a survey regarding CEO abuse.  This gives us an indication as to whether verbal abuse at all levels is reducing or increasing.  NSL ask the CEOs to log any instances of abuse on their HHCs as follows:

· GREEN – Low level name calling (low level = non swearing, low level of aggression, generally aimed at the role rather than the person, i.e. jobsworth)

· AMBER – Verbal attack (profanity, aggressive in nature, hateful/getting personal such as wishing the person or their family harm)

· RED– Physical attack (any form of intentional physical contact)

This is completely separate to whether or not the CEO needs to call a code for support.

The level of abuse logs measured has fallen in 2022 and is back to the level seen in 2020.  The top 10 locations logged were all in zone Z, in the central part of the city.

Rapid Response Line

Urgent issues requiring enforcement action can be dealt with by calling the rapid response telephone service: 0345 603 5469 (option 2). The team will aim to send an officer to the reported location within one hour of the call being made. Problems reported between 8pm and 9am will be dealt with as soon as possible, when service resumes the next morning.

Month	Number of calls
Apr-22	728
May-22	754
Jun-22	658
Jul-22	775
Aug-22	712
Sep-22	631
Oct-22	667
Nov-22	860
Dec-22	581
Jan-23	750
Feb-23	734
Mar-23	903

The Rapid Response service has seen a steady increase in calls over the last 3 years.

School enforcement

A school enforcement rota is in force during school term with 4 schools being visited each day across the city by Enforcement Officers at drop off and pick up times to ensure all parking restrictions such as school keep clear signs are enforced. The Parking team work collaboratively with the Head teachers, the School Streets team, Road Safety team and Police and meet regularly to discuss schools experiencing issues during school run times. 

Bus route enforcement

NSL have a dedicated Enforcement Officer that enforces all bus routes across the city, ensuring bus lanes and bus stops are kept clear to enable the city’s buses to keep moving.

7. Suspensions

Parking bay suspensions and accompanying enforcement ensure that events across the city take place safely, taking into account the rest of the city’s transportation needs.

This year we have been pleased to organise suspensions for high profile events such as the Brighton Marathon, Brighton Half Marathon, and Pride. In some cases, the previous year’s routes were adapted due to the changes that have taken place within the city.  Having the new Map Based Traffic Regulation Order (MBTRO) technology has helped us  liaise with our customers on the types of bays that can be suspended in the city. 

We have also welcomed back filming into the city and have seen productions such as Flatshare and Grace being filmed in and around the city.

The table below shows the number of applications processed and bays suspended by year.  In 2022/23 there was an increase from 2,991 to 3028 in suspension applications, a rise of 1% compared to the previous year. 

	2019/20	2020/21	2021/22	2022/23
Applications Processed	2379	2501	2991	3028
Bays suspended	8189	7726	9821	10357

Once again, we have experienced an overall increase of demand for our Suspension service.  The types of suspensions have largely remained the same compared to last year.

8. Challenges, representations, and appeals.

Incoming appeals 22/23

Column1	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Jan	Feb	Mar
Incoming appeals	3,893	4,357	4,651	4,594	4,924	5,073	4,371	4,396	3,206	3,371	2,521	4,610
Outgoing processed appeals	2,850	3,572	2,745	2,747	2,791	2,798	2,766	2,957	1,847	1,959	3,808	5,234
Outstanding	1,859	244	903	337	426	303	143	119	412	883	804	555

The Penalty Charge Notice and appeals team have improved their backlog from 1,859 cases in April 2022 to 555 cases in March 2023, a 70% improvement that moved us  from a 8–9-week turnaround, to a 7 - 10 days response time. This has resulted in a 30% reduction in customer contact which allows the team to respond to customer contact form enquiries the same day.

The new Penalty Charge Notice IT system provides clear evidence of the circumstances of the case through the customer interface, including all related photos and videos. This allows drivers an opportunity to examine why the ticket was issued and make an informed decision whether to settle or challenge the penalty without needing to contact the service. This allows the team to focus on dealing with appeals, reducing call backs and enquiries via the council’s contact system.

The team has also created a robust vulnerability policy that has now been approved at committee. This provides a framework for staff to be able to manage contact from those who are experiencing financial or mental health issues. This includes appropriate signposting to support services, debt charities and the governments Breathing Space initiative.

9. Bus Lanes, Bus Gates, and CCTV

Bus lanes and gates were introduced in 2019 to create better and faster bus routes keeping our city moving with less delays.  The introduction has increased bus service reliability and shortened journey times, improving public transport in Brighton and Hove and helping make the city’s air cleaner.

The Transport Control Centre issues bus lane Penalty Charge Notices via CCTV resulting in more efficient enforcement.  This then allows Civil Enforcement Officers to concentrate on other areas across the city. 

Bus Lane/Gate layout (including signage and lining) is scrutinised before implementation and then repeatedly afterwards. Overall compliance with the bus lane regulations has improved over the last year with a reduction in the number of PCNs issued for bus lane offences.

10. Car Parks

In Brighton and Hove, using car parks is often preferable to parking on the street as many roads are reserved for resident permit holders only. Car parks also allow parking for longer periods, offer a secure parking facility and provide easy access to the city centre.

List of car parks

The council operates five barrier entry car parks (The Lanes, Trafalgar Street, Regency Square, London Road and Chapel Street). All our car parks and their capacity is listed below:

Car Park	Spaces
The Lanes Car Park	355
Regency Square Car Park	507
Trafalgar Street Car Park	275
London Road Car Park	528
King Alfred Car Park	120
Norton Road Car Park	290
Black Rock Car Park	61
Rottingdean Marine Cliffs	70
Rottingdean West Street	65
Chapel Street	81

Car Park Expenditure / income 2022/23

Location	Expenditure (£)	Income (£)	Net Income (£)
London Road	£479,528	£1,004,060	£524,532
Regency Square	£1,007,304	£1,983,467	£976,163
The Lanes	£1,031,570	£2,581,492	£1,549,922
Trafalgar	£717,971	£1,573,820	£855,849
Chapel Street*	£35,689	£54,861	£19,172
Other Off-Street	£222,779	£960,828	£738,049
Total	£3,494,841	£8,158,528	£4,663,687

Car Park Expenditure/income 2021/22

Location	Expenditure (£)	Income (£)	Income - COVID  Compensation (£)	Net Income (£)
London Road	£391,905	£852,135	£19,646	£479,876
Regency Square	£936,603	£1,882,818	£12,942	£959,157
The Lanes	£638,610	£2,157,179	£1,038	£1,519,607
Trafalgar	£649,090	£1,319,116	£26,825	£696,851
Oxford Court*	£0	£0	£0	£0
High Street*	£75,577	£50,068	£0	-£25,509
Other Off-Street	£198,057	£915,399	£4,799	£722,141
Total	£2,889,842	£7,176,715	£65,250	£4,352,123

*  The Chapel Street Car Park (previously known as High Street) figures shown are after a contribution has been made to the Council’s Housing Revenue Account.

*Oxford Court Car Park has now been sold to facilitate a Doctors surgery development.

The Pay on Foot machines within the car parks continue to offer an option for on-site cash, card, and contactless payments.

Park Mark: a safe place

All five of the Council’s barrier car parks are accredited with the Park Mark award.

In 2022/23 we have been tackling anti-social behaviour when it arises in the Council’s Car Parks with 24/7 CCTV monitoring and working alongside mobile security patrols and Police Liaison.

Disabled Parking Accreditation

All the Council’s barrier car parks have achieved the Disabled Parking Accreditation. The scheme recognises off-street parking facilities which are accessible to disabled people. The DPA is primarily aimed at improving parking for disabled people and reducing abuse of disabled bays.

Car parks that achieve the DPA also demonstrate to their customers that they are committed to creating high quality parking facilities for disabled people, such as:

- easy access

- good lighting

- good signage

- accessible payment methods

- enforceable designated bays

Brighton & Hove City Council, Transport Control Centre

The city’s Transport Control Centre is a hub for traffic management and signals controls. Alongside this it provides customer service to pay-on-foot cars parks and around the clock controls at all the barrier car parks.

Motorists who require assistance can contact the Control Centre via an intercom and Officers operate the barriers and pay machines remotely. The Control Centre is supported by a Mobile Maintenance Team and CCTV monitoring and work closely with Sussex Police and local contractors.

11. Permits

Over the past year, more permit types have become available via new online forms, with some through MyAccount.  Old legacy systems that could not be adapted to how we want to serve our customers in the future have been removed.  Further work on the systems used have moved us closer to achieving the goals for the permits service, which remain:

• From our customers, we want to ask for the minimum information and evidence that is compatible with running an efficient and fair service that is closed to fraudulent misuse.

• For our customers, we want to make things as easy as possible to obtain a permit; one that is instantly activated on approval, and to offer permits that are much more tailored to customers’ exact needs.

• For our staff, we want them to have confidence in the service they run, and to have the tools to quickly correct things for customers when problems arise.

Permit Type	On Issue as of 1 July 2018	On Issue as of 1 July 2019	On Issue as of 1 July 2020	On Issue as of 1 July 2021	On Issue as of 1 July 2022
Business	1,387	1,178	1,036	921	900
Car Club	108	118	111	166	-
Carer	330	325	272	301	325
Dispensation	572	573	497	755	945
Doctor	118	137	138	170	154
Resident (including match day)	37,321	37,548	36,369	37,784	40,456
Professional Carer	2,355	2,521	2,512	2,643	2,862
Schools	296	261	238	364	394
Trader	2,320	2,371	2,030	2,272	2,283

Waiting Lists

The table below compares the number of residents on the waiting list in areas, Y and Z and M parking zones over the last four years:

12. Our Customer Mission

Our Customer Mission:

“We will make it clear how customers can contact or access our services, we will be clear and treat customers with respect, we will understand and get things done.”

Our Customer Mission underpins all the services we offer, this includes: 

· The move to a comprehensive digital access to services – this means services can be accessed when it is most convenient to the customer rather than waiting in phone queues or waiting for a response to an email.

· Ensuring our webpages are always up to date with accessible information.  The new style webpages went live in May 2022.

· Utilising the current MyAccount Council system to enable customers to purchase permits online.

· Using an online contact form system for customers to contact our service.  The data collated allows us to make service improvements where necessary.

· A Parking Customer Services phoneline to help customers who don’t have access to the internet or need help using the online forms. 

· Supporting the use of the Customer Service Centres to help customers who require face to face help to access online services.

Our services are constantly reviewed and improved, and we work closely with the Parking Customer Ambassadors and Customer Feedback team on all customer journeys.

In 2022/23:

• 99% of residents bought their resident permits online, the same as the previous year

• Over 46,000 resident permits were processed online

• 94% of traders permits were renewed online, an increase of 2% compared to last year

• 96% of business permits were renewed online, an increase of 4% compared to last year

• Over 27,000 visitor permits were purchased online

• Over 27,000 customers used the Parking Customer Services phoneline

• Over 37,000 online enquiry forms were received

• Our webpages on average have over 109,000 views a month

• 92% Customers paid their Penalty Charge Notices (PCN) online or via automated payment line

• 88% of customers who appealed their PCN, did it online

What our customers say about our service

Blue Badge

"Dear Bus Pass Team, I received my bus pass. today.  I was delighted.  It's possibly the nicest thing that's happened to me for a while.  2022 hasn't been a good year so far! I also want to say thank you to XXX who was very patient and understanding.  We spoke on the phone a few days ago.    I felt as though he really wanted me to have the bus pass as soon as possible.  This was a joyful conversation for me.  As a disabled person who has to fill in forms and apply for assistance on a regular basis, I'd say it's unusual to talk to someone who is keen for me to receive the support.  I just wanted to email your team to thank you for your support.” – received April 22

“Thank you for your response to my query, and I'm pleased to confirm that my Blue Badge arrived safely today.  I wish to thank your team for your very efficient, professional and pleasant customer service over recent weeks, regarding the Blue Badge and Bus Pass.” – received May 22 

Parking Customer Services

“I was having problems with getting a new parking permit for the car which I bought recently as the old permit was still active. The staff helped me through the process (which was complicated) over the phone. I want to thank them for their patience and time”. – received May 22

“I just wanted to pass on my thanks and congratulations to both the members of the Parking customer services team who I spoke to today. Both incredibly helpful and polite and answered my queries in a rapid and efficient manner. Many thanks to you both.” – received July 22

Parking Design & Implementation

“There has clearly been considerable thought and effort in the preparation of the consultation design, you have obviously listened to the residents' concerns and this is greatly appreciated by all on Withdean Road” – October 22

“This morning we had a sparkling new set of double yellows, big thanks to the team as it's making an immediate impact”. – received November 22

13. Financial Information

Income by source	2020/21	2021/22	2022/23
On-Street Parking Charges	£7,108,666	£11,583,900	£12,385,117
Parking Permit Income	£8,743,901	£11,054,778	£11,924,051
Penalty Charge Notices (inclusive of bad debt provision) – includes on-street, bus lane & CCTV enforcement	£4,268,051	£8,416,604	£8,372,372
Covid funding from central government	£5,136,520	£460,055	£0
Other Income	£74,615	£149,354	£123,587
Total	£25,331,753	£31,664,691	£32,805,127
Percentage change	-7.76%	25%	3.60%
Direct cost of Civil Parking Enforcement	2020/21	2021/22	2022/23
Enforcement	£4,501,734	£5,108,365	£5,587,632
Admin, appeals, debt recovery & maintenance	£3,258,156	£4,014,366	£5,489,224
Scheme review / new schemes	£1,150,022	£1,239,732	£1,506,395
Capital Charges	£1,267,822	£734,931	£704,021
Total	£10,177,734	£11,097,394	£13,287,272
Percentage change	-7.16%	9.04%	19.73%
Surplus after direct Costs	£15,154,019	£20,567,296	£19,517,855
Percentage change	-8.16%	35.72%	-5.10%

14. Where our income goes

Any surplus made through parking fees and charges must be invested into transport and highways. This is a legal requirement. In 2022/23, after direct costs, there was a surplus of £19,517,855.

The table below shows a year-on-year comparison of how surplus income was invested back into transport and highways.

Spending supported by civil parking enforcement income surplus	2020/21	2021/22	2022/23
Concessionary fares	£10,535,684	£10,655,014	£10,637,762
Capital investment borrowing costs	£1,854,964	£1,648,580	£1,798,705
Supported bus services and other public transport services	£1,499,372	£1,452,756	£1,663,928
Contribution to eligible transport related expenditure	£1,263,998	£6,810,946	£5,417,460
Total	£15,154,018	£20,567,296	£19,517,855

Use of surplus income from parking charges and penalty charges is governed by section 55 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. Once the need for provision of off-street parking facilities and to make good deficits to central funding has been met, use of surpluses is currently confined to the provision of public transport services or to road, air quality or environmental improvements.

Supported bus services

The Council supports some bus routes by subsidising the costs of running these services.  In the financial year 2022/23 the Council spent £1,663,928 on supporting bus services.  

Concessionary bus fares

A mandatory bus concession for older and disabled people has been in place since 2001. The scheme has gradually been extended since its introduction and since April 2008 has provided free off-peak local bus travel to eligible older and disabled people anywhere in England. 

The majority of the surplus is spent on providing free travel for both the elderly and disabled residents.

We spent £10,637,762 on this service in financial year 2022/23.