Parking wardens plan a step closer

3:24pm Wednesday 13th June 2012 in Durham County Council News By Duncan Leatherdale

COUNCILLORS are being recommended to approve the next stage in the introduction of parking wardens in five south Durham towns.

On-street parking in Barnard Castle, Bishop Auckland, Newton Aycliffe, Shildon and Spennymoor is currently monitored and enforced by the police, but Durham County Council wants the duty to be carried out by wardens.

The council's cabinet is being asked to approve the financial report next week, which shows the introduction of wardens would make the council an extra £10,000 a year.

Durham County Council makes £587,000 a year from pay and display off-street car parks in Bishop Auckland, and Barnard Castle, but pays a contractor £128,000 to monitor and enforce paid-for car parks.

In the business case, council officers estimate the new wardens would raise a further £134,000 a year although would cost £124,000.

Ian Thompson, corporate director of regeneration and economic development, said the council has been planning to introduce civil parking enforcement since 2007 and has already done so in the north of the county.

He said the introduction of wardens would lead to a predicted £20,000 boost to the offstreet car parks' funds as a result of people who previously parked illegally paying for parking.

Mr Thompson estimates that a further £114,000 would be made each year from fines issued to drivers who continue to park illegally.

If the business case is approved at the cabinet's next meeting, which is being held at the Bowes Museum, in Barnard Castle, at 12.30pm next Wednesday, it will then be referred to the Secretary of State for Transport for approval with a view to introducing the wardens later in the year.

Neil Foster, Durham County Council's cabinet member for regeneration and economic development, said: "The business case demonstrates how we can afford to take on this additional responsibility without incurring any financial burden.

"It also shows how introducing civil parking enforcement should not only improve compliance with parking regulations and vastly reduce inconsiderate parking but also bring in money, which the authority will be able to use on other transport-related projects."

Comments (9)

6:50pm Wed 13 Jun 12

pilchrat says...

NO NO NO NO NO!!

Make the car parks in Bishop Auckland FREE you bunch of UTTER UTTER IDIOTS! Don't employ people meaning that basically it'll NEVER be free.

Sounds about right. Fine local residents to make more money for parking in places that should be able to be parked in ... you plonkers have NO IDEA what the people of Bishop Auckland want.

Just kill off the town then, I give up.

Give me strength!!
NO NO NO NO NO!! Make the car parks in Bishop Auckland FREE you bunch of UTTER UTTER IDIOTS! Don't employ people meaning that basically it'll NEVER be free. Sounds about right. Fine local residents to make more money for parking in places that should be able to be parked in ... you plonkers have NO IDEA what the people of Bishop Auckland want. Just kill off the town then, I give up. Give me strength!! pilchrat

7:44pm Wed 13 Jun 12

D D Coy says...

DCC paid £80,000 in the last financial year to run limos and drivers.
DCC paid £80,000 in the last financial year to run limos and drivers. D D Coy

9:21pm Wed 13 Jun 12

John Justice says...

On the plus side this is a job creation scheme. Several new wardens at a cost of £124,000. Just how much do the DCC "experts" guestimate the amount of money the new enforcement procedures will make in Bishop Auckland alone?. Given the almost obscene progression of the St Helens shopping project which is only going to drive (pun intended) more shoppers out of town then how is it that less is more?. Less shoppers driving into town equals less drivers to penalise for "illegal" parking. And that is the crux of this project. Penalise the very people who are coming into the town to support the businesses both local and national that trade there. It is not about developing the town and creating better facilities and better shops and opportunities to attract shoppers and create a vibrant town centre. It is about penalising the very people who are trying to support local business with the small amount of money they have to spend. I just have to shake my head at the intellectual capacity of the likes of Ian Thompson and Neil Foster, they focus on criminalising local shoppers while ignoring the need of regenerating the town centre. Their actions and comments show the shortcomings of what DCC have working for them. They certainly are not working in the best interests of local business in Bishop Auckland town centre.
On the plus side this is a job creation scheme. Several new wardens at a cost of £124,000. Just how much do the DCC "experts" guestimate the amount of money the new enforcement procedures will make in Bishop Auckland alone?. Given the almost obscene progression of the St Helens shopping project which is only going to drive (pun intended) more shoppers out of town then how is it that less is more?. Less shoppers driving into town equals less drivers to penalise for "illegal" parking. And that is the crux of this project. Penalise the very people who are coming into the town to support the businesses both local and national that trade there. It is not about developing the town and creating better facilities and better shops and opportunities to attract shoppers and create a vibrant town centre. It is about penalising the very people who are trying to support local business with the small amount of money they have to spend. I just have to shake my head at the intellectual capacity of the likes of Ian Thompson and Neil Foster, they focus on criminalising local shoppers while ignoring the need of regenerating the town centre. Their actions and comments show the shortcomings of what DCC have working for them. They certainly are not working in the best interests of local business in Bishop Auckland town centre. John Justice

9:53pm Wed 13 Jun 12

is thesunabovetheyardarm says...

This is simply a revenue raising ploy. It has little to do with 'controlling' parking but more to do with charging for parking. There is currently no paid parking in Newton Aycliffe, but presumably under these proposals, that will change. The justification will be that the parking wardens have to be paid for. We don't have Parking Wardens now and life goes on, so why do we need them in the future? Once again it is the motorist that is being used as the means to raise more money for absolutely nothing extra in return. This is not the time to introduce more cost to people visiting our shopping centres - we need more people visiting shopping centres in our towns, not fewer which will be the result of this additional taxation. I could begin to understand this approach if there was an obvious parking problem. But there isn't in Newton Aycliffe, and the same no doubt applies to the other towns listed. 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it'!!!!
This is simply a revenue raising ploy. It has little to do with 'controlling' parking but more to do with charging for parking. There is currently no paid parking in Newton Aycliffe, but presumably under these proposals, that will change. The justification will be that the parking wardens have to be paid for. We don't have Parking Wardens now and life goes on, so why do we need them in the future? Once again it is the motorist that is being used as the means to raise more money for absolutely nothing extra in return. This is not the time to introduce more cost to people visiting our shopping centres - we need more people visiting shopping centres in our towns, not fewer which will be the result of this additional taxation. I could begin to understand this approach if there was an obvious parking problem. But there isn't in Newton Aycliffe, and the same no doubt applies to the other towns listed. 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it'!!!! is thesunabovetheyardarm

11:18pm Thu 14 Jun 12

John Justice says...

I want to apologise to Ian Thompson and Neil Foster for my remarks about their comments and involvement regarding the implementation of wardens in Bishop Auckland to target motorists who illegally park in the town. While I stand by my comments it is wrong to target individuals who are working for the DCC and indirectly for the taxpayer.
I want to apologise to Ian Thompson and Neil Foster for my remarks about their comments and involvement regarding the implementation of wardens in Bishop Auckland to target motorists who illegally park in the town. While I stand by my comments it is wrong to target individuals who are working for the DCC and indirectly for the taxpayer. John Justice

2:34pm Fri 15 Jun 12

the-big-yin says...

look its simple.....this is a revenue making exercise for d.c.c.
all parking should be free......but they d.c.c. are not interested..they have had their behind closed door meetings with the developers of the st helens sites and had their payments...so we all should give up!!!!!
PARKING SHOULD BE FREE EVERY DAY TO BOOST BISHOP AUCKLANDS AND THE OTHER AREAS TRADE....SIMPLES!!!!
!

lets hope they are voted out at the next elections.....this labour run council has ran its course...get them out....
I HOPE THEY TRY THIS IN CROOK, WE WILL NOT STAND FOR IT
THEY TRIED IT AT CROOK MARKET PLACE BUT THAT IS BEQUESTED LAND FOR THE PEOPLE OF CROOK
EVEN THOUGH THEY CHARGE THE MARKET STALL HOLDERS FOR USING IT...ALL WEEK THE STREETS ARE FULL OF COUNCIL WORKERS CARS..WE CANNOT GET PARKED ANYWHERE
WE ASKED FOR A PARK AND RIDE PLACE ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF CROOK BUTWERE TOLD IT WOULD COST TOO MUCH MONEY
look its simple.....this is a revenue making exercise for d.c.c. all parking should be free......but they d.c.c. are not interested..they have had their behind closed door meetings with the developers of the st helens sites and had their payments...so we all should give up!!!!! PARKING SHOULD BE FREE EVERY DAY TO BOOST BISHOP AUCKLANDS AND THE OTHER AREAS TRADE....SIMPLES!!!! ! lets hope they are voted out at the next elections.....this labour run council has ran its course...get them out.... I HOPE THEY TRY THIS IN CROOK, WE WILL NOT STAND FOR IT THEY TRIED IT AT CROOK MARKET PLACE BUT THAT IS BEQUESTED LAND FOR THE PEOPLE OF CROOK EVEN THOUGH THEY CHARGE THE MARKET STALL HOLDERS FOR USING IT...ALL WEEK THE STREETS ARE FULL OF COUNCIL WORKERS CARS..WE CANNOT GET PARKED ANYWHERE WE ASKED FOR A PARK AND RIDE PLACE ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF CROOK BUTWERE TOLD IT WOULD COST TOO MUCH MONEY the-big-yin

9:42am Sat 16 Jun 12

steapuk says...

As the coffin was being lowered into the ground at a Traffic Warden's funeral, a voice from inside screams

“I’m not dead, I’m not dead. Let me out!”

The Vicar smiles, leans forward sucking air through his teeth and mutters

“Too late pal, I’ve already done the paperwork.
As the coffin was being lowered into the ground at a Traffic Warden's funeral, a voice from inside screams “I’m not dead, I’m not dead. Let me out!” The Vicar smiles, leans forward sucking air through his teeth and mutters “Too late pal, I’ve already done the paperwork. steapuk

1:55pm Sat 16 Jun 12

the-big-yin says...

steapuk wrote:
As the coffin was being lowered into the ground at a Traffic Warden's funeral, a voice from inside screams

“I’m not dead, I’m not dead. Let me out!”

The Vicar smiles, leans forward sucking air through his teeth and mutters

“Too late pal, I’ve already done the paperwork.
l.o.l.
[quote][p][bold]steapuk[/bold] wrote: As the coffin was being lowered into the ground at a Traffic Warden's funeral, a voice from inside screams “I’m not dead, I’m not dead. Let me out!” The Vicar smiles, leans forward sucking air through his teeth and mutters “Too late pal, I’ve already done the paperwork.[/p][/quote]l.o.l. the-big-yin

2:05pm Sun 17 Jun 12

Sick As A Pig says...

They wont catch anyone parking illegally in Aycliffe town centre because theres bugger all there to go there for, unless you want to drop something off at a charity shop or but a bet on.
They wont catch anyone parking illegally in Aycliffe town centre because theres bugger all there to go there for, unless you want to drop something off at a charity shop or but a bet on. Sick As A Pig

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