A PLAN to improve trouble caused by school run parking has been approved by a Tees council.

An in-depth investigation by Stockton Borough Council found incidents of parent drivers shouting at residents and parking dangerously and even risking the safety of children.

Recommendations to improve the situation approved by the council’s Cabinet yesterday include: ‘parking charters’ for parents to sign, extending a council advisory service for schools and encouraging alternative transport to schools.

The report was presented by Cllr David Wilburn who stressed that there was no longer any money available for increased enforcement. The council heard that even when the Government provided money for ‘camera cars’ it often simply moved the problem to nearby streets.

Incidents of unacceptable behaviour by parent drivers outlined in the report included: residents being verbally abused and unable to leave their own driveways; parents parking on roundabouts and junctions and at Ingleby Mill School in Ingleby Barwick, parents even triple parked on the roundabout which led to police involvement.

Schools identified as having particular problems included St Mark’s Elm Tree Primary in Stockton, the Links Primary in Eaglescliffe, Prior’s Mill Primary in Billingham, Whitehouse Primary in Stockton, Ingleby Mill Primary in Ingleby Barwick and the Village Primary in Thornaby.

Presenting the report, Cllr Wilburn said: “The school resources pack (to give school’s better information) will be a main recommendation and we will raise the issue of parking being more strongly discussed at planning stage for new schools.”

Cllr Nigel Cooke experimental parking orders around schools were currently being trialled in Edinburgh. He said: “We should watch that with interest. I live adjacent to a school myself and anyone familiar with the issue knows it might never solved and certainly won’t be by any single authority or agency.”

Cllr Steve Nelson said: “There needs to be an holistic approach. There can be an issue of over-reliance on enforcement. Hartlepool and Middlesbrough had the camera cars and that actually had the result of moving the problem to other areas where the council didn’t have the resources to deal with it.”

Cllr Jim Beall, temporary chairman of the committee, said: “There’s no simple solutions but are range of recommendations. It’s a difficult challenge, but it has sensible and ‘do-able’ proposals.”

Every member of the cabinet voted to approve the recommendations.